Heather had been working on easing the sleeping fire bender's mind of another nightmare and reducing another surge of heat when she heard a knock on the door almost two hours after she had sent the messenger. She semi-shouted a 'come in' at the door, as she had decided, as the time wore on, to risk keeping the door unlocked. Turning her gaze towards the door momentarily she saw Kiril enter the room, though it seemed the other fire bender wasn't with him. She wasn't too surprised though since Sylph had mentioned that the black haired bender had said he had a few business things to attend to, and considering none of them had any clues as to what or where this business was taking place, it would probably be a bit harder for the messenger to locate him especially if he wasn't yet back at the Wolf Inn.

She was both surprised and yet not as Kira inquired about the fire bender passed out on one of the lounge sofas. "He'll be alright, although he'll be out for awhile, or at least until the sedative wears off and he'll need his second dose. He just went a bit beyond his limit is all..." the woman replied as her gaze turned once more towards the red haired guard affectionately as he once more relaxed, as well as confessing that she had drugged the guard.

Just as she had with Altyre, Sylph obediently showed where the injury had been. The skin may have been healed, but it was still a bit tender. Heather had already told her it was to be expected, after all no healing was perfect, and that she should still be careful. Seeing the gentleness in his eyes caused Sylph to smile. "I still don't think it was really anything, after all it was an accident that was my fault" she offered up, unsure of exactly what he had been told. The fact he knew meant that the fire bender had already gone and told him she had been injured, but she wasn't entirely sure of what else he had said. The dark skinned bender had been the first to suggest it as a cut from a sharp object as opposed to the scrape she thought it was, and at the time she hadn't exactly been convinced of it. Now that two have suggested the same though she couldn't help but allow her doubts to pass, although she still truly believed it was an accident that she had caused, even if it had been Rhamiria who was truly at fault.

Heather turned her attention once more away from the fire bender she was tending and directed it towards the water and air bender. A smile appeared on her face at seeing the two's interaction, just as one had appeared on Sylph's when the female water bender had been tending to Kaji. If it weren't for the seriousness of the situation she probably would have made a jab at the two about expressing their feelings towards one another, but then she already had a hunch of what the result would be. Sylph would more then likely turn her shade of red while Kiril wouldn't seem to quite get the hint. Unfortunately she realized it was a trait that he and Kaji seemed to share, after all the fire bender seemed relatively clueless about her feelings for him as well.

Shaking her head of the thought she returned them to more pressing matters. Of course she couldn't fully discuss what it was she summoned the two male's for since one was still absent. She could just picture the messenger scrambling around trying to locate the other fire bender. A quiet giggle issued from her as she could just imagine the panic on the boy's face. She was well aware that he was relatively frightened of the little woman, which many just found comical. Although he was young he already was taller then her, almost as much as Kaji was. It was like seeing a giant being scared by a dwarf, and before that 'giant' realized just how tall her really was compared to her this 'dwarf' was going to use it to her advantage. Of course she wouldn't really carry out the threat she had issued to him, it had only been one of her scare tactics to make him move quickly since the issue was urgent. "You two might as well pull up a seat while we wait for Altyre. I sent the messenger to the Wolf Inn, but I've no idea if he's gotten the letter yet or not, or if he's currently on his way" she stated with a shrug.

"I can't say I'd know either, but judging from how scared that messenger was of you he's probably at least slipped it under the door by now...She threatened to shatter his legs and break his arms" Sylph replied, whispering the last part towards Kiril and shaking her head. She still couldn't believe how badly she had seemed to scare the boy and would later have to talk to her about it. Not that she would lecture the guard of course, but perhaps she could convince Heather to next time find a different way of conveying how quickly she wanted a letter delivered.

Kiril could clearly see the affection in Heather's eyes as she looked over his brother and he knew that his sibling was in good hands, "That's good to hear." Turning his attention back to Sylph the male looked over the area that had been cut. It was still a little red after the healing but Heather had done a good job closing it up. No doubt it was still tender, so he didn't poke or prod at it. Listening to Sylph as she tried to blow it off only made the male worry more. She was the type of girl who wouldn't see a dangerous situation until someone was openly attacking her, "No, it's not that simple Sylph." He his tone was stern even though he spoke softly.

Altyre had been right. She'd been cut near and artery and it would have bled profusely and easily reopened if one of them hadn't took a look at it. He listened to the two women speak before he actually decided to take a seat, "I don't think Altyre will be coming. He seemed to be extremely busy even when he came to see me. If it hadn't been for the fact that he thought this was a dangerous situation I'm not sure he would've said anything to anyone. I'm sure he's handling this situation the best way he knows how, so we should leave him be." Kiril paused for a moment to let his words sink in for the women.

After giving them a moment he continued, "That cut that you received," he said looking at the airbender, "was administered by Rhamiria." His facial expression was grave as he prepared to share what he knew for now with them, "Altyre told me everything that happened, and he found out that Rhamira has been trying to kill me and Kaji." The surprise on their faces was evident but he wasn't done unfortunately, "But apparently, since the original plan didn't work, I think he plans on attacking us through her. She's the only thing that links us together and she's been seen in our company on multiple occasions. She's in danger right now because of that."

To be honest, Kiril would have preferred to explain all this while Kaji was awake and aware but it couldn't be helped. They had to come up with a plan right now. "She needs to be watched at all times, becuase we have no idea when Rhamira will strike and since she knows exactly who you are and what your name is there's nothing we can do to hide you now." There was a bit of anger in the waterbender's voice but it wasn't directed at anyone in the room. This was low, even for Rhamiria but there was no doubt that she wasn't beneath doing anything to get what she desired. What he didn't know was why she wanted him dead. He hadn't done anything to the woman. Kaji on the other hand was simple. He was a thorn in her side.

Sylph felt a mixture of disappointment yet understanding when Kiril said that he doubted Altyre would come. 'Well at least I got to spend a little time with him earlier today and at least I'll still get to spend time with Kira too...and Heather...and maybe Kaji if he wakes up at some point...' she thought to herself with a small smile as she added the other two on after a few moments. After all they were all her friends and she was always happy to be with them, however it was always slightly different with Kiril and Altyre. Warm and fuzzy feelings would always well up within her when she was around the two, and although it was still a bit confusing she didn't exactly dislike the sensation.

As the silver haired bender mentioned Rhamiria, immediately the council woman's face popped up in her mind. She had been the one that had originally orchestrated the match between Kaji and Alkaid against Zeno and Kiril. According to what she had found out later the council woman had done a bit of underhand dealing in the match to ensure the two guards would lose, even going so far as to having Kaji injured before the match. Thanks to Kira's intuition though earlier on when they were all in the locker rooms, the fire bender had been healed before hand, however he was still ordered to lose.

She frowned as Kiril further explained that she now wished for both him and his older brother to be killed and was planning on using her against them. Being the person that the air bender was, and despite the discrepancies of the past, she did want to give the council woman at least some form of a chance. "Now hold on, don't you think we're all reading into this a little too much? I fell after bumping into her and she ended up landing on top of me. Don't you think there's at least a slight chance that it was all just an accident? If she were going to 'attack' me don't you think she would have done something a little more drastic like she had with Kaji? You saw the cut yourself Heather, it was shallow. It's not like it was life threatening or anything" she tried to urge as she attempted to come at the situation from a more logical standpoint.

Heather was relatively shocked to hear that the council woman wanted both Kaji and Kiril dead. It wasn't any real secret to her that Rhamiria wanted the fire bender dead, as she had been trying to snuff out his flame ever since he was promoted and refused to be under the noble woman's thumb like his predecessor. After a few moments of thought, and the realization that the woman had been at the match when Kira revealed himself as a blood bender, she managed to at least assemble part of the puzzle. "I suppose in a sense it makes sense that she would target you both. It's no secret that she's been trying to kill our red head here for a few years now. I doubt he's ever mentioned anything, but there's been more then one occasion he's had to deal with an assassin hired by that detestable woman. I'm guessing the reason she's targeting you as well though Kira is because of your blood bending. She's afraid...actually I believe most of the council is...Here let me show you something" she said, getting up from her spot temporarily and moving towards the desk. She began rifting through a stack of papers that had been neatly stacked, until she found the one she wanted.

"Please know that typically...most people aren't permitted to see these sorts of things unless they've been passed by the council... Technically even I'm not permitted to see this even, only Kaji, but since he's been out...I've somewhat taken advantage of the opportunity to snoop around a bit..." she said walking over towards the seated water bender and handing him the parchment. It was a law that was currently in the process of being debated that dealt with blood benders. It stated that blood bending was to be banned completely from Einheit due to the 'concerned safety of the citizens' and that any blood bender found or anyone with evidence found them blood bending would immediately be arrested and tried for treason and endangerment of the public. It went on further to state that if the person was found guilty they would either be banished or executed, depending upon how serious the blood bending crime. On another piece of paper attached to the back it stated that it was a law suggested by Rhamiria and had already been approved by a few of the other council members who were under her thumb had already agreed to the law, however it didn't appear that they had gained enough of the council's support yet to pass it.

"I believe Kaji isn't going to approve it either, since I believe that pile it came from was his 'reject' pile. I think because of that, and the fact that there are still a few council members uncertain if they should fear someone like you or Rhamiria more are undecided. There's also a few members on Kaji's side that I doubt she'll be able to win over, although I'm afraid if she manages to convince the rest of her followers it won't be enough to repel the bill. It seems she's targeting you out of fear" the smaller woman stated before returning to her sleeping 'patient's' side to try and nip one of his nightmares before it started.

Filled with both curiosity, and simply because she wished to, Sylph made her way beside Kiril to read over the paper that Heather had handed the other water bender. Her light blue eyes scanned the document before she gasped a bit in horror and surprise at the suggestion that was currently being debated amongst the council. "That's just...not right..." she stated quietly under her breath.

Heather nodded at the light skinned woman's words before focusing on the situation that was now undoubtedly in their hands. "Which of course means Sylph that there's no way she's not going to target you. As Kiril said she knows your name and face now, and will most undoubted make a move in order to get to these two. Therefore as much as you may not like the suggestion I do agree you need to be carefully watched, which of course brings me to the reason I had originally summoned you and Altyre here" the water woman said as her gaze then came to rest fully on her once pupil.

"I think it would be best if she stayed with either you or Altyre...since of course he isn't here tonight she should stay with you, at least for tonight. As you said we're not sure when Rhamiria will strike again and we're not even sure exactly how she will either. I don't know if her information has gone much further, so I'm not sure if she knows where Sylph even lives, but with her name it wouldn't be hard to figure out. There's an archive anyways that she could access to find out if she didn't since I'm fairly certain there aren't that many people around here with her name....I would suggest for her to stay with me, but unfortunately I'm not certain I could hold off anyone she sends as well as you or Altyre could...and with Kaji currently out she probably wouldn't be much safer here either. People would get suspicious and I'm sure one of Rhamiria's henchmen would easily be able to scout out a civilian amongst the imperial guard" she finished quietly as her gaze shifted back towards her sleeping crush's form, as she brushed a few more of the red strands from his closed golden eyes. A part of her wished the guard was awake to help form a better plan, but at the moment she knew rest is what he needed most rather then even more stress on his shoulders at the moment.

Kiril shot the girl a sharp look, "Don't be naive Sylph! This isn't just about you. You're just the catalyst and the bait." He hadn't meant to shout at the girl, he was just frustrated that this was happening, and he was worried for her and his brother. Taking a deep breath the male apologized, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you." This bothered him. The whole situation. If this had been a simple attack on him, or even just his brother, it wouldn't have been so bad because the two of them were trained fighters. It was the fact that the councilwoman had chosen this route to go about her slimy ways.

As the waterbender listened to the other speak everything seemed to come together when she mentioned his secret. He took the parchment and took to reading it as he answered her, "Now it makes sense how I fit into all of this. I know I've never done anything to that woman before, so I was curious as to what she wanted with me." His eyes quickly scanned over the law and he shook his head in bewilderment. Just how many blood-benders did she think was in Einheit? This was a bit extreme for just one man. "Heather do you know if there are any other blood-benders here? I think this law is a bit extreme for one person, but I wouldn't put it past her to make it just because of me."

He knew without Heather even saying it that Kaji wouldn't approve this bill, thought it was only because of him. The sad part was that blood-bending was extremely dangerous especially if water-benders decided to use it for personal gain. To be honest, the bill itself was a bit extreme but the law of forbidding blood-bending would probably have been passed if not for all the extreme overkill that Rhamiria put on the bill. Sylph's comments were in tune with his own but probably not from the same source, "Actually if the consequences of the bill weren't so extreme it would probably have easily been passed," he said aloud to voice his thoughts on the matter.

It was probably a surprising sentiment coming from the blood-bender who inspired the bill, but anyone who studied and practiced blood-bending knew the real dangers of the art. He eyed the bill for a moment longer before placing it on the table beside him and getting to his feet. Kiril began pacing the room in thought, but he wasn't going to tell them what was on his mind.

As he paced, he listened to Heather's proposal regarding Sylph and even though he slightly wanted to protest, the idea was the best one at the moment. "Yeah, I think that'll be best for now actually. My place is only a one bedroom apartment and there's only one entrance so it's easy to defend." He continued to pace the room in thought after he spoke, completely oblivious to the other two as he drifted off into his conscience.

Sylph's face seemed surprisingly calm as she was shouted at, though she couldn't help but flinch slightly from the volume anyways. "It's fine" her tone was relatively gentle as she accepted the apology. She knew he didn't mean to shout and that at the moment he seemed relatively upset. Everyone, including herself at times, she felt could be the same way and wasn't anything to take personally, even if she still thought there was still a bit of overreacting going on. As horrible as some of the things Rhamiria had done and was doing, none of them had been there at the time other then herself.

Heather was a bit surprised herself to hear the water bender raise his voice, though she knew he was simply just concerned. Still she made a signal for them to be careful about just how loud they talked. "Even if we are in Kaji's study, you never know who could be passing by at this time" she further warned, although a part of her mind couldn't help but think just how cute it was to see Kiril worrying over Sylph the way he was, since she was still rather unaware that the guard she was beside and the silver haired bender were brothers.

The shorter water bender thought for a moment as Kira questioned about there being any other blood benders in Einheit. "There's only one other that I know of...But he hasn't blood bended for years...not since the last war and even then he was careful not to draw attention to himself. Other then him though I'm afraid only Kaji would have access to the files...They're actually probably in here somewhere. I know that every bender is suppose to register their bending skills for the city records...Let me see if I can find the key..." the auburn haired woman stated as her hand went towards the unconscious fire bender's pants, and rummaged around in one of the pockets. After a few moments, and probably after coping a few subtle 'feels', her hand retracted with a relatively crowded ring of keys.

She looked at a few of them, though soon a pout came to her face. "Ugh...leave it to Kaji to keep a set of unmarked keys on him...I curse your memory abilities...it's not fair to those of us that don't have them memorized..." she pouted as she lightly punched the fire bender's limp arm. She already knew which of the numerous filing cabinets she needed to enter, after all despite the knowledge being in the guard head's keep, anyone in the guard, military or police force was permitted to get access to the files, but the amount of keys she would have to sort through to find the right one was a bit...daunting.

Directing a glare towards the fire bender she let out a sigh. After a few moments she turned her gaze towards the pacing water bender and seated air bender. "Don't suppose either of you two know how to bend information out of an unconscious person's mind would you?" she somewhat joked with another sigh.

At the question Sylph's gaze turned towards Kira almost automatically. Kaji was his brother after all and was probably the more knowledgeable then either of the two women in unknown bending arts. She knew of course from the various times her brother needed information from an unconscious foe he would inflict enough pain for them to at least awaken before he started his 'questioning', but then she didn't expect the water bender to do such a thing to his brother. Besides she wasn't entirely sure the process would work anyways in this situation since it was a drug that kept consciousness from reaching Kaji.

Sighing as the only idea that popped into her head was to try and lock pick the cabinet, which would in turn set off Kaji's specialized and literal 'fire' alarm even when unconscious, she decided to turn her attention to another topic. "It's possible it might have, I'm not entirely sure though. But it probably would have helped its chances to say the least" Heather had to agree that the punishments suggested were far too extreme. It wasn't a water bender's fault if they were able to blood bend as well, plus Einheit was suppose to be a free country where it didn't matter what type of bender a person was. Granted it was an ideal rarely upheld nowadays, especially in the city now, but the idea of it was still suppose to be in place anyways.

As Kiril described his housing situation, the short water bender nodded her head in agreement. "Then your house it is. There's a chance that there may be a trap set at Sylph's house tonight, so you two probably won't be able to grab anything from there...I would also be careful going into your house anyways as well Kiril. If Rhamiria decides to plant a trap there it'll be a similar scenario for you two. There might be only one way in, but that's all that's needed for a rather effective trap. I would even suggest that if you two wanted you could probably stay at either my home or even Kaji's, since I doubt he would mind and we're both probably just going to remain here for the night, but whatever you think might be easiest" the woman replied with a shrug.

She could see that the air bender wished to protest the idea, however the light blue haired woman remained silent, showing that for now she would go along with the plan. She figured it was either that or Sylph was a bit too...preoccupied to say anything. Deciding to try and lighten the mood at least a little bit she gave the woman a wink. "Just be sure not to give it all up in one night Sylph, make 'im work for it" she said with a teasing grin.

Sylph's face immediately set itself to a red that could easily rival Kaji's hair. "W-wh...no...Heather!" the woman stuttered out.

Heather grinned as she got the reaction she wanted out of the air bender. Her attention switched however when she felt the ire bender beneath her hand stir. She knew he wasn't waking up yet, but the movement drew her attention anyways. Once more she lovingly brushed his red locks from his face as the healing water once more encompassed her hand and placed it gently on his forehead. "I know you want to wake up firefly, but you're not allowed just yet...Don't suppose you'd be willing to tell me which key though that opens cabinet C would you?" she quietly whispered in Kaji's ear. She noticed him once more try to stir, causing her to wonder if he actually heard her. Her answer was soon given to her as she suddenly felt a spike of heat on the keys that her other hand still had, causing her to jump and drop them. Glancing down she noticed one of the keys began to glow a slight red as heat radiated off of it.

"Alright I get it, I get it...that key..." she said, healing the light burn on her hand rather quickly. Soon after the key stopped radiating heat just enough for her to pick it up. The water bender stood after carefully retrieving the keys from the floor, before directing her gaze back towards the silver haired male. "Looks like I can give you the information you wanted about blood benders...if you're still interested in it that is" the shorter woman stated calmly.

Even though the woman had forgiven him for shouting it was still evident through her behavior that she wasn't taking this situation very seriously. No doubt Sylph didn't think Rhamiria would do something like that, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing, but her forgiving and overly positive nature would sometimes undoubtedly lead to situations like this. Silently in his head he reminded himself to find a way to keep an eye on her. This city was becoming more and more dangerous. And now that the councilwoman had her eyes on him, there were a few things he needed to protect.

Up until recently he'd never had anything worth protecting other than his bond with his brother but now that had changed. In all honesty, with the way he and Altyre had been hitting it off lately, he could see how they might become friends down the road. But Kiril didn't know that they'd have time for that. If things got as violent as he thought they might, none of them might survive the end of what was to come. A somber thought, but he was a realist and not a dreamer. It was easier for him to understand the gravity of a situation this way.

The water-bender nodded to his female counterpart as she fingered that he should keep it down. He hadn't meant to shout but Sylph's constant protection of that woman was too much. She was far too kind for her own good. "I know. Sorry."

"Really?" It was interesting to hear that there were other blood-benders here in Einheit. Not that he truly expected to be the only one but maybe he wouldn't have had to train himself in the art if he'd known that there were more. But based off of what Heather had said about the one she knew of, he doubted that he would've taught him. Still, maybe he could try and seek him out. There was the possibility that he would share some of his knowledge.

Kiril waited as Heather searched for the keys and then found them on Kaji's person. When she asked about bending an unconscious mind the waterbender shrugged, "I suppose I could try with blood-bending. . . but I wouldn't use it on him," he replied calmly. Since blood-bending was partially mental and partially physical technically it could be done. He could command his mind to make his body move where it did not want to if he were strong enough, but Kiril knew he wasn't practiced enough for it regardless.

The male could only nod in agreement with Heather's statement on the bill. The truth was the truth. As the topic shifted to their arrangements about where to stay Kiril's attention was focused completely on the short female. Her suggestion was reasonable, "We'll stay at Kaji's place," he said after a short moment of deliberation. He looked up at Sylph standing next to him then back at Heather, "I think it'll be the best spot for us since I'm familiar with it." He had to be careful with his words since she didn't know about their relationship.

Again, the male missed what was going on between the two women as the air-bender turned red again and Heather had that mischievous look on her face. But then Kaji seemed to stir a bit and after a short exchange apparently he pointed out the key they needed to open the cabinet and gain the information about blood-benders, "Yeah, and we'll leave after this. I think it would be best if we got to his house before it gets completely dark."

Heather nodded her head as she confirmed that she knew of at least one other blood bender herself. "Mhm, I could probably introduce you two pretty easily. He may be rather old now, but his mind is still rather sharp, so I'm sure I could convince him to talk to you about blood bending if you want" the shorter female offered with a smile. She then began striding over towards the filing cabinet that she knew would contain the information that Kiril was seeking. It took a few moments for her to open it, and find the correct draw. She was certain that the files were organized, however how she wasn't entirely sure since it was Kaji's system. Soon enough though she found the files that pertained to blood benders in Einheit.

Curiosity rose in her though as Kiril stated that they would stay at the red haired guard's home, primarily because the water bender knew it better. She wondered exactly how that was, but then figured at some point they've all visited the male's home. 'Maybe a boys night...I could imagine it with the other two...' she thought with a giggle and decided later she would try to pump Kaji for information about it. For now though she had a different task and once more set her mind to it.

"That's probably a wise idea. Traps are always easier at night so it's definitely best to try and avoid walking around the night time hour. Plus things have been...relatively dangerous as of late at night, especially with all the tension in the air" she said nodding once more in agreement with Kira, while her eyes scanned the files that were now in her hand. There were a grand total of three, though she knew that once the silver haired male's file was added there would be four. Blood bending was a relatively rare skill as it was, and most who could perform it preferred to avoid it. From what she understood of it, it was dangerous and a rather painful experience for the victim, which was probably one of the reasons she never held much interest in learning it.

Walking over to where the air and water bender male, though stopping and retracing her steps momentarily at the wooden desk and opening one of the draws to retrieve yet another key before resuming her pace towards the other two, she held out the files for him and offered the key. "Most are pretty aged, and I'm not sure how much information you'd be able to get from two of them. That top one there though is the one I know about and like I said it shouldn't be hard to introduce you two. And just so you don't trigger our firefly's 'alarm' system here's a key to his house. I tripped it once and got my hair roasted for it...It's only one of the few times that I'm thankful that I'm short..." she said shuddering a little as she recounted the event.

Each file held the picture of the alleged blood bender and a rather extensive amount of information on them, but then with Kaji as the head she knew it wasn't too much of a surprise. The fire bender had a tendency of being rather thorough in whatever research he was thrown into. The one Heather had mentioned she knew revealed the old man to have had children and even a granddaughter that held the same name as the auburn haired water bender. Whether or not it was her though the female didn't offer up however.

Sylph still wasn't entirely convinced that all these precautions were entirely necessary, but she really didn't wish to continue arguing with the two seemingly stubborn water benders. Letting out a small sigh of defeat she let her light blue eyes roll over the files that had been handed to the male she stood next to as well as the key that Heather had handed over. It was a rather odd little item in her opinion, though it was probably mainly due to the fact that Kaji's three fires seemed to radiate inside of a glass piece that had been integrated into it. Hearing about the shorter woman's hair getting roasted made the air bender wonder exactly what sort of 'alarm' system the red haired guard had, though a part of her really didn't wish to find out either.

She had been relatively happy that the silver haired water bender stated that he could probably bend an unconscious person's mind, but that he would do it on Kaji. She felt it wouldn't have been right for the male to blood bend his older brother. She had already seen what it could do roughly with the match that occurred about a week ago now.

Her mind shifted once more as she realized it had been a week since the battle and thus a week since Zeno left. Faithful to her word she had gone to visit Alkaid in the hospital rather frequently, just in case the earth bender would want to know. The older earth bender had been recovering rather well, he could at least walk and unfortunately bend a bit now from what she had learned. She had been careful to only visit him in his room when he was sleeping or unconscious since she had heard that he was relatively violent still whenever he was awake. She figured now though that at least three were now convinced that she had been attacked, that it would be difficult to continue visiting without getting some form of further protest now. Of course each time she visited she did bring at least a doctor with her since she did say she wouldn't visit Alkaid without an escort.

"I'd like to but I may not have time to go see him anytime soon. We'll have to see how things play out then go from there," the male replied intuitively. It wasn't often that the silver haired male was so deeply in thought about the future since he liked to constantly think of what he could do now to improve and close that gap between himself and his brother. He did notice that Heather seemed curious about his choice of words in regards to staying in Kaji's house but he didn't feel like making up a story to cover anything that she might think up.

Kiril had to nod in agreement with his fellow water-bender when she said that the nights were getting more dangerous, "That's true. Lately I've noticed that there are more police out patrolling at night. They seem to be almost forcing people inside lately. I think something big is about to happen." Of course this was just an observation he made leading to his own opinion, but the signs were definitely there. There were so many unusual things going on in Einheit right now that it was hard to ignore or not notice unless you just didn't want to. Or didn't get out much, but Kiril did.

The male water-bender took both objects held out to him even though he didn't need the key, and thanked the woman for her help, "I'll give these a look tonight before I go to sleep but for now we need to get out of here, and I want to avoid any unwanted attention," he said as he rose to his feet and took the air-bender's hand. Looking Sylph in the eye he told her, "Let's go." Figuring there was no need to tell Heather to lock up or be careful he simply glanced back as they were walking out, "Take good care of him," and left.

There wasn't much time for them to make it back across town before the cover of darkness fell on them, but luckily there weren't any guards around right now. Leading the woman through a series of back roads it was about twenty minutes before they reached his brother's home. Unlocking the door with his own key, he opened the door for the air-bender then checked their surroundings for anything out of place before entering and locking the door behind himself.

Letting out a sigh of relief that they didn't seem to have been followed nor was anyone watching, Kiril took a seat on the couch in the living room. "Are you alright? Do you want something to drink?" He didn't think that Sylph was fully in agreement with this idea but they didn't have much choice since Altyre wasn't around and they had no idea when they'd see him again. Not to mention that the water-bender wasn't entirely on board with having the air-bender stay with that perverted fire-bender even if they were childhood friends and it was all a joke.

Heather lightly shrugged her shoulders. "Well at any point you find you want to pay him a visit just let me know. I can usually get free time a little bit easier then most of the other guards. That may end up changing here soon however, but as you said we'll see" the short woman said with another shrug as she returned once more to the unconscious fire bender's side. She could feel another wave of heat starting to stir up off of him and immediately set water covered hands on him once more.

She nodded her head in agreement as Kiril gave his observation on the police's actions at night. "They are. It's becoming dangerous to stroll around at night anymore. Even our section has been forced to step it up a notch. I believe there's even a curfew law that's currently being debated among the council members as it is. Confrontations between the guards and the resistance group in Einheit have even escalated despite the lack of Alkaid out on patrol. Actually I believe there have been reports of regular civilians taking up arms against a few of us as well. I've no doubt that dark times are falling upon us" the water bender said with a soft sigh. She recalled just the other night she had been attacked herself just for being a part of the guard. She glanced towards one particular cabinet behind Kaji's desk and knew that it was almost completely full of recently committed 'crimes' as well as profiles of the 'criminals' in question. 'I'm sure it won't be long before most of Einheit ends up in police custody and death row once more becomes an option' she thought with another sigh.

Turning her gaze towards the silver haired water bender and light blue haired air bender she once more gave a nod of agreement. "That would probably be best. Considering the time already I'm sure it won't be too long before the nightly patrols begin. Although if anyone here tries to question you, then you should still be safe flashing that letter without arousing too much suspicion. If they cause problems just threaten to send them to fire fly here or me and I'm sure they'll leave you two alone" she replied with a wink before giggling. Even though her rank was lower on the scale, but many in the guard already knew not to cross the little woman least they suffer her wrath during training. A smile spread began to spread across her face as she noticed her male counterpart grabbing a hold of Sylph's and fully formed as the said male told her to take care of the fire bender. "Don't worry, he's pretty good at recovering. After a good night's rest he'll be fighting fit. You two be careful though, you never know what that evil witch could be planning" she warned quietly, although she knew it wouldn't necessarily be needed. She was confident that Sylph would be safe with Kira, after all he was the arena champion and she knew he had a special 'thing' for the gentle natured air bender.

Sylph was a bit surprised to find her hand taken by the water bender, though she didn't mind in the least. She nodded as he said for them to go, although she still wasn't fully convinced the precautions were necessary. Still though it meant she would get to spend time with Kira alone, a fact that both thrilled yet terrified her. She still hadn't fully figured out the full extent of her feelings when it came to the water bender and Altyre, other then they held a more private section then either Heather or Kaji did.

As they moved to go she quietly said her goodbye to the smaller woman. "Try not to take advantage of him" she teased the female water bender with a wink and nodding towards Kaji, before giggling quietly to herself as the woman's cheeks lit up, completing Sylph's small form of revenge.

------------------

Sylph followed Kira, keeping her hand in his, as he led the way to his brother's home. The guards that she had seen stationed earlier when she first arrived had already departed, so they weren't stopped. She was secretly amazed that the water bender knew where he was going, especially since they were taking the back roads, but then figured it was natural since they were heading to his brother's home. When they arrived she was further surprised to find how simple it looked on the outside and that it was tucked in a more secluded part of Einheit. She had figured since Kaji was the head of the imperial guards, he'd be more in the center of the town rather then near an edge.

It was a decent sized one-story house that looked normal enough. Nothing seemed particularly special about it and was relatively easy to over look. It was the perfect place for Kaji to receive some form of privacy from his guard rank. She quietly waited as Kiril unlocked the door, taking note of how well kept the area seemed. After a few moments she was soon found entering the house, feeling it a little bit strange that they were entering a home whose owner wasn't there.


A slight frown appeared on her face as she though she heard a small noise from within the structure, but summed it up to the security system that Heather had mentioned. Entering the home though, after the silver haired male unlocked and opened it for her, she thought she had seen something small move however when she tried to find the source found nothing. Chalking it up to her mind playing tricks she waited until Kira entered and quietly followed him, as she gazed around and mentally began mapping out what various rooms were, the bathroom: the kitchen and what appeared to be two bedrooms. At the far end of the living room they were in a set of stairs descended in what she guessed was probably the basement. From what she could tell the rooms were furnished enough to be comfortable and nothing more. The living room they were in was set up with dark red couches against the far adjacent walls with matching large plush chairs not too far away. A dark mahogany coffee table laid in front of and in between the two couches, so that guests in either couch could easily access it. A few papers were neatly stacked on top of the table's clean surface, and figured were probably something related to the fire bender's work. Glancing down she noticed the floors were wooden with a slightly glossy shine to them.


A small smile appeared on her face as she gently nodded her head. “Yes I'm fine, although this feels a little strange. I mean are you really sure it's alright to stay here without asking Kaji? Not that he could really say anything at the moment...but still. And no I'm alright thank you though” she said quietly as she took a seat near the water bender.


A scampering sound soon caught her attention however as a slight frown once more appeared on her face, accompanied by the flash of movement across the floor out of the corner of one eye. Like before however she found nothing there when she looked, yet she could still distinctly hear the sound of something running across the wood before the room once more went silent. She began returning her gaze towards Kiril, about to question on whether or not she was just hearing things, and nearly jumped out of her skin as a set of unfamiliar eyes and small body of a light red, black and white stared at her wearily on the back of the couch she and the silver haired water bender were sitting.


After a few moments she realized she staring at what appeared to be a rather young fire ferret, and from the gold colored tag lined with flames, one that went by the name of Echi. The small creature stared at Sylph for a few moments before it began making small and somewhat quiet chattering noises as it glanced questioningly between the two benders, its small furry head bobbing up and down occasionally. It seemed curious yet hesitant as the air bender slowly and carefully offered her hand for the creature to sniff. “Well aren't you a cutie...” It seemed all was well as the ferret creature seemed to accept her hand, nibbling lightly on the tips of her fingers before seeming to decide to latch tightly onto one with its small teeth. "Ow...ow...please let go" she said with a slightly nervous laugh as she tried to free her finger from the tiny creature's jaws unsuccessfully.

(The fire ferret Pabu was so adorable, I just had to throw one in here somewhere, plus my youtube videos I was watching somehow ended with me watching baby ferret videos. The cuteness was just too overwhelming. This one though shall be cute yet have a vicious streak a mile wide. Attack ferret for the win. XD)

(Personally I would've named it Nico but that's just me lol)

As Sylph seemed to be familiarizing herself with the layout of the house, Kiril set to cutting on a few of the lamps so that it was bright enough for them to see and not bright enough for anyone to be really suspicious. When he was finished he sat back down on the couch as Sylph finally decided to answer his question. "To be honest, I think this is what he would've wanted. So it's best not to make a fuss of it," he told his female companion.

Now that that was settled, Kiril could hear the sounds of tiny feet scampering around amd he figured it was Echi whom Kaji had only had for a few months now. He waited patiently for the young shy fire ferret to reveal itself before bursting out in laughter when it bit the air-bender, "Come here Echi," he called as the furry rodent dashed to his shoulder wrapping its body around his neck. "You must haven't been fed today huh guy?" The water-bender smiled as he rose to his feet, "Let me go feed him real quick. I'll be right back. Make yourself at home, we're not going anywhere else tonight."

Disappearing into the kitchen he found Echi's food and its bowl and poured the little one something to eat. "There you go," he called as the ferret left his shoulders to dig into the bowl of food. As the silvery haired male left out he called back, "Come join us when you finish." Echi chattered to signal that it understood.

Walking back into the living room and taking his same seat he looked to Sylph with a slight grin, "Are you okay? He didn't draw blood did he? Sorry I guess I should've warned you about Echi. He's a little mean one. The only people he likes are me and Kaji, and I still get bit on occasion unfortunately," he said with a mild chuckle.

The mood changed a bit as Kiril's eyes grew affectionate and his voice low, "Look, I know you think all of this a bit too much for a little cut that you got on your arm but I promise we wouldn't be reacting this way if we didn't think things were really bad." He knew full well that the air-bender thought everyone was overreacting and how she managed to still think that when everyone else around her agreed was beyond him, but she did.

Moving over to the woman he took her hands into his own and smiled, "I promise, I won't let anything happen to you," he told her gently. Then a sudden wave of emotion came over him as he realized a chance like this may never come again. So he continued, "Sylph I. . . I don't know what's going on between you and Altyre but let me say this. I care about you. I'm not particularly good at showing it, or saying it aloud but I want you to know that I want you to be happy. Altyre is a good guy, and I can tell that he cares for you though I don't know in which way, but this is what I can promise. . . As long as you're with me, I'll never leave your side nor would you have to worry for anything. I'll always be there for you one way or another and if you need anything at all you can just call my name."

There was a pause as he allowed his words to sink in, "I don't want or need an answer immediately, but things will get bad here real soon. And if I'm going to die, I wouldn't want any regrets, so I just had to let you know how I felt." After he finished, Kiril let go of her hands and went back to his original spot. A moment later Echi came scampering out of the kitchen and into his lap, "Whoa there!" The little ferret curled up into a ball ready to go to sleep and the water-bender stroked its soft fur gently to help calm him.

(I though Echi would be a cute female name for the ferret. XD)

Sylph was still a bit hesitant with the idea that it would really be alright to stay the night in Kaji's home without his actual permission, but then again he was Kiril's older brother. She figured if the water bender believed that this is what his brother would have suggested anyways she wouldn't argue with it. More then likely Kiril was probably correct anyways just from Kaji's personality, but she still would have felt a little better if the fire bender had given the permission himself rather then either of the water benders. 'I guess in a strange sense it would be considered Kiril's home too since they are brothers...'

Despite being bitten by the ferret the air bender felt no ill will towards the little creature. In fact a small giggle came from her as the ferret obediently came to him at his calling, although she thought she saw a look of disapproval in the ferret's eyes, but figured she was more then likely imagined it. "Alright" she said with a smile and watched with a smile as the water bender, with Echi in tow, went to go feed the small fire ferret.

She remained on the couch, but took the time to look around a bit more to gain a better understanding of the fire bender that lived there, although she guessed from the looks of things he actually wasn't in his home too often. The place seemed far too neat to be lived in and the only real evidence she found that the fire bender even enter his home at all were the papers on the coffee table. In her home home she could remember the living room being filled with various photos of her and the rest of her family, and even in her current home she held some sort of familial evidence, but it seemed to be lacking here. She attested it to the fact that the red haired guard was trying rather hard to keep his relations a secret, and based on what everyone around her believed was going on she had an idea of why. Revealing people close to you could mean putting them in danger and with an enemy like Rhamiria constantly at his heels already he probably didn't want to endanger his younger sibling, or at least that's what she figured.

Although that mainly explained why there were not photos of him and Kiril together, but not quite anyone else. Thinking quietly to herself she remembered receiving a rather vague explanation from the fire bender once that the brother's parents had passed on already when they were rather young. She felt there was a bit more to the story from the brief far away look that had appeared in the golden eyes when she asked, but she didn't dare press for any further information from him. 'He answered vaguely for a reason...Whatever happened...he knows far more about then he probably wishes that he did...' Like with the absence of Kiril's photo it was merely a guess on the air bender's part.

Her mental questions and thoughts of the fire and water bender's family were pushed aside for the time being as Kiril returned to his seat on the couch. With a small smile she gently shook her head to his question. "No I'm alright. It wasn't too deep, though I will say he does have a rather powerful set of jaws to him" she answered with another giggle.

Soon the atmosphere changed from the slightly carefree one that she had felt into something a bit more...deep. She didn't miss the affection in the water bender's eyes as he spoke. She nodded her head, understanding his point though she still couldn't help but question it. "I know...it's just...a bit difficult to believe immediately that a small cut I got from running into and falling with someone, even if that someone was Rhamiria, that it was done purposely. I don't want everyone worrying themselves and to find out in the end there was no real cause for it to begin with" she replied quietly as she attempted to convey what had her concerned about the situation as best as she could. If what Altyre had told Kiril was true, and she doubted that it wasn't since he was almost suspiciously reliable when it came to information of any sorts, then there would be plenty of other things that both Kiril and Kaji would be worrying over themselves that she didn't wish to add to that.

The water bender's next words and actions however took her completely by surprise. Sure she had, had her suspicions, after all with all of Heather's teasing how could she not, but hearing it straight from the water bender himself was a bit shocking to say the least. She offered a warm smile of affection as she carefully thought of how to convey her own affection for the water bender, yet still giving way that she was still a bit...conflicted when it came between him and Altyre. "To be honest...I'm not...entirely sure myself of Altyre's relation and mine at the moment. I know he cares, but with him it's hard to tell in what regard since there are times I think he says and does things just to get a reaction out of me. I would be lying if I said I didn't hold affection for him myself...however...he's also not the only one...there's a reason that Heather teases me about you both after all..." she quietly said as a small blush automatically appeared on her cheeks. She was finding it difficult to convey her feelings as purely as she felt Kiril had done, after all her heart was still conflicting with itself and her mind.

Closing her eyes briefly she focused on the warmth of the water bender's hands, and could feel her heart fluttering at the sensation and making her smile widen slightly. "I care about the both of you a great deal, perhaps a bit far more then words could really describe. I know...it's not quite a satisfying or complete answer...but I do want you to know I care about you too" She may not have been wise in the way of directions or dangers, or even held the same level of knowledge as Kaji, Kiril, Altyre and even Heather had, but she did understand the seriousness and sincerity of what had been confessed and what was being asked.

The mood soon shifted once more as the little ferret chose to make an entrance once again, curling into the water bender's lap and causing another quiet giggle to come from the air bender. The ferret gave pleased noises as its fur was stroked gently, soothing and coaxing it to sleep. "He's exceptionally cute when he's not biting" she continued with another small giggle, though did her best to stop when she swore she saw yet another disapproving look in the ferret's eyes and angry sounding chatter issuing from it as Echi began to slowly rise from its comfortable position. It was as the ferret began rising on its hunches that the air bender couldn't help but noticing. "Umm...Granted I'm not...entirely familiar with...fire ferret anatomy...but...are you sure he's...not...a she?" she questioned hesitantly as she held her hands up passively to try and show the ferret she meant not disrespect nor harm.

After a few moments of giving the air bender the 'evil eye' the ferret slowly lowered back down to her curled position, though made it clear that the dark eyes of the creature would now be trained intently and almost maliciously on the light haired woman. Sylph could tell what it was the little ferret was conveying, that any more towards her or the water bender would be met with hostile and 'over protective' resistance. 'Definitely has a mean streak...'

(It works for me lol)

When Kiril returned he grinned as Sylph said she was fine from the bite and commented on Echi's jaw strength, "That it does," he added with a snicker of his own.

The waterbender listened to the young lady's next words and nodded in understanding, "I know what you mean, and maybe it wasn't intentional when it happened but I'm sure I speak for all of us when I say, I have no doubt that eventually it would have been intentional. She wants to hurt you to get to us. This is an undeniable fact and Rhamiria is a dangerous woman in ways that you can't imagine." He was careful to keep his tone calm and concerned, not to reflect the way his blood was boiling just thinking about how that woman aimed to harm the airbender. This was a tough time and thinks were only going to get worse from here.

It was more painful than he thought it would be to hear that she had feelings for Altyre. He was sure that she had but it still was hurtful to hear. It saddened him, but he knew he couldn't show it, so he kept a steel like curtain up over his features. But then as she admitted to having feelings for him, a tiny grin crept onto his face despite trying to keep a neutral Kaji-like face on the outside, "I. . . I'm glad to know there's at least a chance." He let a brief pause consume the room before adding, "Don't feel like you have to choose between us. Just let it happen. I'm not so sure that we can choose love rather than love choosing us. . ." He placed his hand gently on the side of her face and stroked her cheek with his thumb.

Then as Echi returned the mood took a swift change, and Kiril looked pretty confused when Sylph stated that it might be a girl. Picking the ferret up to have a look, he set Echi down slowly and rubbed her head gently, "Looks like you're right," he admitted trying to stifle a laugh. All this time it had been a girl and Kaji hadn't said a word to him when he called her a boy. It made him want to punch his brother but what could he do about it now?

(Lol yep. XD)

Sylph giggled as she figured, from what the water bender said, that the ferret had, had plenty of practice biting if Echi only really like him and Kaji. She had to suppress the thought of how the little fire ferret would come to react to the shorter tempered Heather, if the water bender ever managed to rope in the fire bender. Despite her efforts however she couldn't help but giggle. “I doubt Heather will be too happy about that...” she said with another giggle as she decided to share her thought with the silver haired water bender. She realized of course that she would be the in same boat herself if her own heart took a sway closer to Kiril. For now though she figured she wouldn't have to worry about it right away...or at least that's what she hoped.

When the subject shifted back towards Rhamiria there wasn't really much the air bender could say to even begin to try and still that worry, not after what had already occurred. She had already forced the two brothers to 'fight' one another, although the only one that was injured was the much deserved Alkaid, not to mention as of late she had ran the fire bender to the complete point of exhaustion. If she was able to take out Kaji in such a way, although only temporary, she was in fact a dangerous woman. The fact that Altyre had overheard the older air bending woman talk of assassins and killing the two brothers didn't sit well with her as it was, but the idea of being used herself to cause harm was both alarming and terrifying for her. She wasn't a fighter like the rest, although she could defend herself fairly well depending on her attacker, so she knew that when it came to such dangers her vision was limited. “Perhaps...though if it were to eventually become intentional I doubt that she would do it herself. Although sour and even a bit wicked her personality doesn't seem right for it. She seems more like the type to have someone else do her 'dirty work' for her rather then herself, and that being the case I believe and intentional attack would be easier to spot” she quietly stated as she paused for a moment. “If she were to do something intentional I would think she would only do it to see a reaction if anything” She wasn't entirely sure how the council woman's mind worked, and it was hard for the air bender to even try picturing herself in the woman's shoes, but she figured that is what she would probably do.

She was rather relieved when she noticed a small grin appear on his face at her own confession and by his words. Closing her eyes briefly, to once more enjoy the warm sensation of his hand on her skin, she couldn't help but smile herself. “There's been a chance for some time now I think. I've...always felt a little differently about you. Although it took me a little while to realize the full extent of my feelings, it sure didn't take Heather long to figure it out too” the air bender replied with a quiet sigh as she recalled the multiple times that the shorter water bender teased her almost ruthlessly. She had worried before about the silver haired water bender figuring out just what exactly Heather always teased her about, and the possible strain she feared it would put on their established friendship. After finding out that the water bender cared for her, she felt a bit silly about her once fear.

Her light blue eyes opened once more at his words as her own hand came to lightly rest upon his hand on her cheek, though she could feel the sleepy glare coming from the ferret at her actions. “That is true, although it still means that a decision will have to be made either way one day, even if done by love itself. Though with everything that's going on with Einheit I'm not sure that a decision will be able to be held off for too long anyways. I...can feel the tension in the air around the town” she said quietly. The more wide scale problems hadn't gone unnoticed by the female bender, especially when she was hanging out with Heather or the rare occurrence she bumps into Kaji. She could practically feel the aggression radiating off of the towns people, and from the laws that were in the process of being passed, she was certain that the hostilities were going to only rise further.

Before either her thoughts or words could continue they were interrupted by an angry chatter coming from the fire ferret that had calmed down enough to rest in Kiril's lap. Glancing down she noticed the water bender had picked the little creature up and checked the gender for himself, causing the little ferret to snap at any flesh that dared to venture near her mouth. The ferret's angry chatter and squeaks didn't cease as she was slowly set down, however they quieted slightly as Kira began to gently rub her furry head. Sylph couldn't help but giggle at the fire ferret's reaction as well as feel slightly sympathetic for it. “I don't think she liked that very much” the air bender said as she tried her best to suppress another giggle. Despite her efforts of trying not to laugh the little ferret sent her another 'death glare' that promised that if the air bender dared to get too close to either herself, or the owner of the lap she was occupying she would get attacked despite the fact that Sylph hadn't been the one to disturb her. “It seems at the moment the most likely attack I'll be facing is from Echi there” She knew if it wasn't for the fact she was certain she would invoke the tiny creature's wrath she would have moved closer to the silver haired water bender.

From what she had heard from Heather, the female water bender had ended up staying the night in Kaji's home as well once. Based on what the shorter female had said she had been over to discuss the induction of new recruits and assigning various shifting duties to them. The auburn haired female had ended up passing out long before the fire bender, who only remained in his own home up until the short female passed out before slipping out to do a bit of training. Although he had allowed her to stay in his home for the night, nothing had come out of it, to the disappointment of the female guard. The air bender wonder how it was she was able to overcome the furious furry creature.

That when another thought occurred to her, would the little creature even allow her to sleep in the house anyways? Kiril wouldn't be a problem since he did say the little ferret like him, but looking at the venomous look the creature was giving her, it was clear that she was not held in the same esteem. “...You did say that Kaji wouldn't mind us staying here but...how about her?” she asked nodding her head towards the furry creature.

A month passes after the first signs of the imminent chaos to come have been revealed. Altyre spends this time working from the shadows, doing the kind of things that he'd grown accustomed to over the years. Einheit was a pretty upstanding country but it still had flaws. Many of its people could still be bought for the right price. As soon as he noticed the danger that was to come, he immediately set out and made a few friends in both low and high places. He needed eyes and ears everywhere.

He set up a system that would keep him from being the center of attention all the while amassing all the knowledge of the dirt and filth that was spreading through the people of this country. He made pacts with gang, criminal organizations, peasants as well as a few of the less reputable policemen that seemed price-worthy. The whole project had taken him only about a week and a half to set up securely enough that he felt both safe -moderately at least- and satisfied.

The stirrings that he received daily from both mail and contacts over the past few weeks were disturbing. Rhamiria was making her move. She started out small setting up a curfew for all citizens to be in their houses by nightfall. The council had insisted it was for the safety of the people but it set off a flame that would steadily rise over the weeks.

Admittedly the curfew made moving about openly a tad bit more difficult but in all earnest the darkness was an ally and it was engrained in his blood at this point. His job required him to work after market hours oftentimes, but things were easier that way. Skulking through the night to various meeting points Tyr met with his contacts and planted seeds where he saw it to be beneficial. In the weeks to come he would have to be even more careful and his meetings would become more important.

-------

After the curfew was set up, Kiril took up arms with the protestors as they held rallies during the daytime while trying to keep things as peaceful as possible. It was noted that Kiril's presence seemed to rile up the protestors even though he never spoke. He had this odd feeling that since it was now a widely known fact that he was a bloodbender, that people got this idea that he could do anything and protect everyone. It partnered itself with an ominous sinking feeling in his throat at times.

As the days rolled on and turned to weeks, things only seemed to get worse. The rallies were turning violent, with aristocrats often trying to belittle hard-working men by siding with the council blaming the crime in the city -which stemmed mainly from the lower class- on them. As often as Kiril tried to mediate and diffuse these situations, they were turning out worse and worse by the day. He and Varick spoke often about the rallies and tried to think of ways to keep things peaceful, though it mostly went nowhere. No matter what they tried, the pressure swiftly kept mounting.

In his free time, Kiril made a point to spend time with Sylph as much as possible. She now knew how he felt about her, and as hard as he tried not to let it affect him, his mind often wandered to the beautiful air-bender. He even caught himself smiling uncharacteristically to himself. Thankfully he was always alone in those times. It was a subject he wanted to readily avoid. His brother was always in enough trouble as it was and he would hate to have to worry about her as much as he did him, no matter how little he showed it. He shared his worries with her whenever they spoke and it was comforting to have her around. He did his best to listen to her and the water-bender felt they were steadily growing closer by the day.

-------

The blows that happened next were expected by the assassin. His ears had told him of what was to come and his eyes had seen the geyser as it readied to spout. The situation here (over the next few weeks) had rapidly grown worse and the sparks had turned into a full blown wildfire. Rhamiria had managed to get the council to pass two vitally importantly laws. First, she came down hard on the protestors. Anyone that was known to be actively involved with the protestors was to be arrested and tried immediately depending directly on their involvement. Luckily death wasn't an option of Varick would have been killed immediately when he was brought in. Unfortunately for him, his sentencing was harsh.

The worst law that was passed was also the most unnecessary. Apparently a high number of nobles feared that with the showing of blood-bending and how effective it could be even rendering an Imperial Guard powerless. They seemed to be caught up on the possibility that it could inspire other normal water-benders to learn the dark art. Admittedly, it was a clever way to get Kiril wrapped up since she couldn't actually arrest Kiril for speaking out against them. He rarely, if ever, spoke at rallies. He usually participated as a simple bodyguard and advisor to Varick. Now he was a man on the run.

There was one more law that got passed of note. The law suddenly cracked down hard on all of the gangs of the city. Some of them had several policemen on payroll and were now being cracked. The only reason why this turned out to be bad for him was because so many of his contacts came from gangs and it was crippling his network tremendously.

Though he felt no fear for his life, Altyre knew he would be confronted eventually. The venomous fire-bender was an enemy of Rhamiria and she was purging Einheit. She was getting rid of all of her enemies, and although he had no idea where his name was on the list. It was definitely there.

Keeping himself inconspicuous, Tyr sent both Kaji and Kiril anonymous letters with any important information that he knew would concern them. There was never a name, and they were always delivered personally -Kiril no longer on the list as a wanted man- with the mark of the Vatican. He was sure that Kaji wasn't familiar with the symbol but it could be found if he dug deep enough.

Slightly to his dismay, the dark skinned male couldn't see Sylph right now. He hadn't seen her since the day she'd been cut. It was a sacrifice he had to make in order to help a greater number. Thinking on it now, his master would be proud of him but that would be something to think on in a more appropriate moment. Sylph, had always been like a sister to him and maybe even a little more than that at one time, but now he knew it wasn't meant to be. If he had to choose between her and doing what was best for a large group he couldn't abandon a greater good. It was a personal demon that haunted him, and caused him to stay distant.

-------

The next few weeks were hell for Kiril. First, Varick was arrested for his part in the protests along with a few others who regularly spoke. He silently thanked God that he left that to his friend though not without some remorse. Doing his best to lay low while communicating with his brother and receiving anonymous letters from someone with this elaborate symbol for a signature. He didn't have time to ponder who it was from but whoever it was, to his credit, had great penmanship.

When blood-bending was declared illegal and the highborn went on a manhunt the silver haired male went into hiding swiftly. On occasion he met up with Sylph but their daily meetings for lunch had ceased abruptly and he bounced from safe haven to safe haven, staying with various citizens at their risk. The police and Imperial Guard were allowed to inspect homes if it was under suspicion of harboring either a blood-bender or an active protestor. These were dark times.

Police often found themselves fighting mobs of people upset for loved ones being wrongfully taken or just due to plain outrage. Tonight for the first time he was suppose to be meeting Kaji, Heather and Sylph behind the Arena which was still a few months away from full completion. Fear for them as well as the consequences of what could happen were they to be found out traced its way up and down his spine as he waited for the rest of them to show up in the chilling wind of the night.

A month had passed and it seemed within that time the once 'peaceful' air of Einheit gave way to chaos. Kaji had seen it coming as more and more work built up and crashing down on his shoulders. He wasn't shocked that the first law to pass had been a curfew. It was a law in the making for a relatively long time, and council had discussed such a thing before. Each time though either the head guard himself or one of the few councilmen that supported him, and managed to see reason over power, were able to shoot down each time. “It would only give rise to hysteria, chaos, and leave the people unsettled. As it is now we're barely able to keep the country's seams from splitting open at the center. A war within our own country is one thing we cannot handle at the moment” It was an argument that typically won the vote, except this once. The politicians and even 'rulers' of the country were frightened now that there was at least one person that was pushed under their thumb that had the potential to cause harm to them. This fear gave root to at least two more laws, and many others that seemed yet to come, that sent a wave of rebellion throughout the hearts of the people.


Violence seemed to be sparked up in the hearts of the people, leading to more and more confrontations between the those sworn to protect the citizens and the citizens themselves. It was only a matter of time before the confrontations rose to the level of throwing members of rallies and protest groups into a prison, that was quickly filling up. The imperial guard soon enough came under the accusations of only protecting the wealthy and privileged classes, and the thought seemed to be only enforced further as the guard and police were soon given privilege to search houses and arrest people under suspicions.


The punishments of those found guilty of involvement, whether they truly were or not, were harsh and in the fire bender's opinion unnecessary. Many were condemned to be made examples of through military force. Paraded before the people, humiliated in many case, before being forced to endure imprisonment and harsh interrogations. The people weren't the only concerns the red guard held. Alkaid had recovered and seemed as bitter and violent as ever. In an effort to try and cage his hostility the Imperial head guard attempted to place the earth bender into the position of interrogator. At first it seemed work rather well, as the earth bender was forced to refrain from violence, however with the council's paranoia increasing, that seemed constantly egged on by Rhamiria, that restraint was soon changed.


What were to originally suppose to be only verbal interrogations, with occasional intimidation tactics depending upon the person, soon began to turn into more of a physical confrontation. Once this began Kaji had no choice but shoulder those himself as well, while trying to place the sadistically violent earth bender in a less destructive position, which considering the male was still unfortunately his second, proved rather...difficult. With Rhamiria's backing the earth bender was for the most part protected from being forcefully removed. Kaji knew that with the vile woman's associations and influences that the only direction Alkaid could move was up, though only if the fire bender chose to step down, which he couldn't allow, although that didn't mean the thought didn't occasionally rise to taunt him.


Soon enough anonymous letters began to appear, and not only to himself. Sealed by an emblem he didn't recognized, Kaji had chosen to do a bit of digging, after awhile found that apparently it belonged to a group he had long since forgotten about. He was a bit surprised by the information he got, mainly due to the fact that he was expecting more of a death letter or threat then actual information. Why it was the Vatican was helping him just added a bit more to a past puzzle. With things as they were though, he couldn't exactly find an answer, but if the person was willing to assist then far be it from him to reject it, it seemed hard enough to find allies anywhere nowadays for an Imperial guard, let alone the head.


Perhaps the only few still positive reprieves from the constant chaos was the relatively regular contact he held with his brother and the almost annoying attention that Heather seemed to constantly wash onto him since the day he collapsed. He hadn't been exactly thrilled that the female water bender had chosen to drug him to force him to rest, however looking back it was probably the first and last peaceful sleep that he had truly had and would have for a fairly long time.


Through the times of the ensuing chaos Heather had chosen to take up the task of keeping an eye on Kaji's health and welfare. The last thing the country needed was for Einheit's protector and voice of reason to become battered down by stress, injury and sickness, or at least that was the outside reason she gave. In actuality she could clearly see the stress and exhaustion within the fire bender's golden eyes as one thing after another was dropped into his lap, and caused her to worry immensely. As powerful of a fire bender as Kaji was, he was still only mortal, a fact that most of the council seemed to ignore, at least in her eyes.


As first the curfew law passed and then the law against protestors came into being, the female water bender found herself and many of the others suddenly rounding up 'suspects' at an alarming rate. It seemed any sort of inkling of someone speaking out against the government was met with chains and torturous interrogations, at least until the fire bender chose to shoulder that responsibility as well.


Soon enough the efforts of the law enforcers paid off as the main leader of the largest and most prominent protesting group, as well as many other key speakers, were place within their care. The short female had though that this would be enough to quell the aristocrats and councilpersons' fears, however it as a flame that simply wouldn't die.


The arena fight had brought about the pushing of a law that both her and her red headed crush both seemed to dread...the outlawing of blood bending. At first she assumed Kaji's concerned stemmed from his 'friendship' with Kiril, however after catching him during one of his rare moments of allowing his emotions to surface in what was suppose to be the privacy of his office, she came to find just how close the two males really were. She had always held a suspicion that they were related in some way, but hearing from the fire bender himself that the two were brothers was a bit...surprising. Perhaps if it wasn't for the fact that the blood bending ban already had her upset, she would have been furious that the two chose to withheld such information from her. She also came to learn that Kaji knew of her other connection to a different elder blood bender that resided in Einheit, her grandfather. Although law forbade her from being forced to arrest the elder herself, Kaji assured that he would make sure that no harm would come to him and that he would do it himself to ensure it.


She was a bit surprised at the care he showed, despite the 'friendship' he seemed to show her, and perhaps that's what caused her to press the issue further. Perhaps it was the stress or simply that she had managed to catch the fire bender without his emotional shields up, that allowed him to make a confession she hadn't quite been expecting...At least not for awhile or at the time...


Despite the timing and shock it gave to hear words of affection coming from the male she had been vying for, it was probably one of the only happy bits of information she received, well other then the bit she managed to squeeze out of Sylph during one of their 'girl talks' as she called them. For a short amount of time Heather felt as if she were dreaming, though with a knock on the door reality came crashing down.

--------------------------------

Even Sylph couldn't ignore the chaos and violence of the past month. It seemed every corner she turned it was occurring in some shape or form. Eventually the streets themselves seemed to become dangerous to the point that her job as an air bending instructor soon came to completely cease. Parents no longer felt safe sending their children out, and honestly the air bender didn't blame them. Of course this also freed even more of her time, which she typically spent with either Kiril, or he was busy then it was with Heather.


She was a bit saddened by the fact that she hadn't seen hide or hair of Altyre. She stopped frequently at the Wolf's Inn, but each time the innkeeper had to turn her away for one reason or another. She was a bit disheartened by the fact the fire bender seemed suddenly so busy, but still quietly accepted it nevertheless. She only hoped that she wouldn't have to wait another seven years to see her friend once more.


While one relation seemed to suddenly stand still, another blossomed rather quickly. She soon found herself spending more and more time with Kiril. Her own thoughts would occasionally drift towards the silver haired male, which initially came as a slight surprise. At first she simply thought it was caused from his confession of feelings for her and her conflicted ones towards him and Altyre, but as the days passed she found the conflict within her heart coming slowly to a resolution.


Heather seemed in rather large support of speeding along the air bender's choice, and managed to 'play' the curfew law into her mischievous schemes. She wasn't surprised when the water bender had further suggested the air bender have someone with her at night, mainly since 'Rhamiria could plan anything at any point', and most of the time Heather would try to arrange it so that it was her and Kiril. What further surprised her was she managed to get Kaji on board...at least in a sense.


As the weeks rolled on more laws began to pass, and Sylph could easily see the immediate impact. Confrontations between people, the police and imperial guards seemed to only rise. Rallies that were once held in the streets were soon banned and being forced to silence. Then the laws started to target blood benders as well and the time she got to spend with Kiril was cut as he was forced into hiding.


It wasn't long before she found herself being placed for interrogation, after all so many had seen her with the blood bending arena champion. Perhaps it hadn't been for the fact her interrogator had Kaji himself and instead had been Alkaid, she probably wouldn't have survived nor been allowed to return 'home'. She later found out Heather had also come under interrogation and suspicion, but was soon freed as well. Still it didn't deter her from wanting to be around Kiril, even if it was now far more difficult. She was looking forward to tonight, after all it would be the first time in a while that she would be able to once more see the water bending male.

---------------

Being careful not to draw attention towards herself, Heather was surprisingly first between Kaji, Sylph and herself to arrive. It didn't take her too long to spot out the silver haired water bender behind the still being worked on arena, though she wondered with all that was now happening if there would be any finishing it. Glancing around once more to ensure no one was tailing her, she inconspicuously as possible made her way to the shadows of the large structure.


As she settled herself into a spot that would enable her to be hidden from first glance, and nodded a greeting towards Kiril, another figure began making its way towards the area. Green eyes glanced only briefly to find the air bender, carefully making her way towards them. She was a bit surprised that the airy girl had managed to find the spot, or even remember where it was.


As Sylph spotted Kiril and Heather a smile graced her face. Like Heather she had tried to be as careful as possible to ensure she wasn't being followed. Of course there were times that it was beneficial to be an air bender. She was relieved to find Kiril was safe, and that he had managed to avoid being caught, though she figured his brother might have helped that out in some sense. Either way he wasn't locked up in some dingy prison cell like so many others were now. Instinctively she made her way to the water bender, nodding and giving the shorter woman a small hug of greeting before moving to Kiril. She too bestowed a hug to him as well, although with how tight she managed it, it was clear she had been worried and was convincing herself that the water bender was in fact here and safe. Sufficiently convince that he was in fact standing there she dared a quick kiss to his right cheek before releasing him and giving the water bender a warmed smile. "I'm glad you're safe" she whispered quietly. She was somewhat relieved that his older brother hadn't been present, after all she knew well how older siblings could get, but the snicker of the smaller woman made it clear to her that there had indeed been a witness to her quick expression of affection.

Turning quickly she could see the mischievous glint in the smaller woman's eyes and knew that soon enough teasing would occur, however given the situation she wasn't sure if it would be now or later. Deciding to try and push it off to later she chose to quickly start up a subject. "I'm surprised to see Kaji isn't here yet" she stated quickly, knowing that throwing in the subject of Heather's love interest would throw the woman off the teasing trail for at least a little while.

Heather's gaze slowly drifted towards the ground. “He'll...be awhile...He's...undergoing interrogation right now. Apparently Rhamiria made an accusation claim towards him...It's no surprise I'm sure that Alkaid was thrilled by this fact” the shorter female quietly stated as she lifted her gaze towards the two. “It's good to see you Kiril. How have you been fairing?” she asked, quickly changing the subject.

--------

Kaji wasn't entirely thrilled by the fact he had been pulled within the room that had become the interrogation room. He had been in here a number of times, especially the past few weeks, however he had been on the opposite side, nor had he quite expected to be so soon. Then again with a political enemy like Rhamiria he felt he should have expected it. 'Of all the times it had to be now...'

A resounding slamming of palms on the table in front of him drew him from his thoughts and caused his golden gaze to be redirected towards the smirking and malicious face of the earth bender that he had almost forgotten was in the room with him. The almost sickeningly gleeful glint in the more muscular male's eyes and smile. "If you're going to do this interrogation Alkaid then let's hurry this up shall we? I've quite a bit of work I need to get done" the red haired guard stated calmly, crossing his lighter colored arms over his chest and closing his eyes.

The darker skinned male's grin only widened as his superior spoke. It wasn't every day he could get the calm yet fiery red head in a position that prevented him from retaliating or defending himself. "Now now, no need for such a rush Red. You should be happy to have this little...'break' in between your duties. I know you haven't had on in awhile after all" the earth bender mocked. Despite the vulnerable situation that the bulkier bender knew the leaner one was in at the moment, the look he was given was enough to make him start the process.

--------

A sigh escaped the red haired fire benders lips as he leaned against one of the corridor walls that would lead him out into the imperial yard that would in turn lead him out onto the main streets. He could feel the twinge of pain in his lower ribs and back area. Alkaid had been careful enough not to strike in a place that would either be vital or a place the red haired guard couldn't easily cover, after all he may have been a brute, but he wasn't stupid enough to try and take on the entire town, or at least not the 'water bending runt' that 'got lucky' just yet. Plus he wanted the pleasure of getting rid of Kaji and not some 'crazed up terrorist' who decided to take advantage of the fire bender's slightly weakened state. After a few moments of rest, and reestablishing his usual calm mask, he moved away from the wall and once more began moving forward.

It took a little time for him to arrive at the other side of Einheit where the arena laid. In the dark shadows of the arena he could vaguely make out the shape of at least three figures. Naturally he was careful in approaching the area, making his way as nonchalantly as possibly to the area. He was relieved to make out the silvery hair of his younger sibling, and given that a fight wasn't currently ensuing as well as the height, or rather lack of height, with one of the figures he was certain it was the two females that were there with Kira. It seemed the instant that he was within the clearing of the shadows the short water bender moved with a speed that was rather surprising for her, as she practically pounced on the fire bender and forcing him against the wall to prevent him falling from the rather unexpected gesture. "Well hello" he said as he raised one red eyebrow. His gaze however shifted towards his brother, relief clearly written in his eyes. "Long time no see" he said, greeting his younger sibling.

Kiril had only been there for a few minutes before he saw another figure enter the courtyard that served as their usual training ground during Arena months. It was Heather. The water-bender gave his female counterpart a nod of acknowledgement once she greeted him. It was good to see that she was doing well. It wasn't long before another figure entered the courtyard. This one was obviously Sylph. He could recognize the air about her anywhere. She just stood out yet at the same time she could blend in. It was something that was near impossible to miss when you were used to and easy to ignore when you weren't.

The silver haired male smiled when they made eye contact and gave her an equally tight embrace when she squeezed him. "I'm going to be fine. I know so many people that it shouldn't be too hard for me to stay hidden," he reassured her. Then he whispered, "I missed you," to her before receiving her kiss on the cheek. He placed one on her forehead in kind. Heather snickered in the background but Kira had expected that. Maybe that was why she always seemed to be watching them so closely all the time. But that was a subject for more pleasant circumstances.

The water-bender's eyes narrowed when the midget said that his brother was going through an interrogation. No doubt, Alkaid would be conducting it. Which also meant he would get here and pretend to not be injured when in actuality he was. Oh well, he'd confront his brother about it after the meeting was over. No need to get either of the women worried. It wouldn't be good for anyone at this moment to lose their head, which is what that little one would do.

After another twenty minutes of waiting in silence, Kaji finally arrived. Just as Kiril had suspected his sibling looked to be unharmed but the silvery eyed male knew better. Heather pounced on him immediately which caught no one but Kaji off guard. And after he greeted her their eyes met. Both of them showed the same sibling affection for one another, "I'm glad you're still breathing as well," he teased with a dark humor.

"How are things looking on the inside," he asked once Heather had unlatched herself and everyone was comfortable. It was hard for him to stay hidden when there were constant random house checks but he had a good number of fans and people who admired him throughout the city and were willing to go above and beyond for him now that things had gotten this bad. It was tiring but he was managing.

Sylph smiled further as the silver haired male whispered he missed her. "I've missed you too" she whispered back, but knew the shorter female would probably overhear anyways. Her hand lightly drifted towards his before lightly grasping it. She was careful to make it light enough to where he could easily pull away if he wanted or if he needed to, after all even though they were currently in a deserted area of the arena, anyone could stumble upon their gathering and cause a commotion. She was further relieved when Kiril mentioned he had plenty of fans that would help hide him, despite their risk of doing so. She would house the water bender herself, if not for the fact that Heather still believed the air bender's home was being watched by one of Rhamiria's eyes. That of course resulted in her continued 'slumber party' over at the smaller water bender's home. Despite how small it was, she wasn't going to complain, after all Kiril was now on the run, and Altyre had disappeared into his work leaving Heather one of the few bits of company left.

Heather had watched the two's interaction long enough to know that it would only be a matter of time before it would be 'official'. Of course it would have to be after Kaji managed to convince the council to reverse the blood bending law and a few others. When she saw the figure of the fire bender that had already been on her mind she was immediately thrilled. He appeared no worse for wear, which surprised her considering he had just spent time trapped with Alkaid. Her first reaction was to immediately pounce on him, a reaction that she wholeheartedly carried out. Her arms wrapped securely just about his waist, it being one of the few things she could at her height. After a few moments she detached herself and quickly set to work at inspecting his body where she could, without forcing him to disrobe himself, not that she would have minded but she figured he would have given the fact they weren't alone and out in the open technically.

Satisfied that she couldn't see any harm on him from what she was able she gently grasped his shirt and pulled down. "Sit" she commanded, and was pleased that after some hesitation the fire bender eventually obeyed. Once she was certain he was at least down and comfortable enough she quickly took a seat within his lap. At first he seemed to start an objection but after giving him a quick look, he soon gave up the idea.

Kaji chuckled at his brother's greeting. "Yes, just barely" he said jokingly with another chuckle from his pinned position against the wall. He glanced down a moment at the female whom held his waist 'hostage'. After a few moments she released him though began the inspection that he knew was coming. He was aware that she knew who had done his interrogation, and that she was concerned and thus allowed her to inspect away. He surprised though that after she seemed satisfied, as she thankfully skipped anything that was clothed including his ribs and back, she commanded him to sit. After a few moments of consideration he decided to simply oblige since the woman most likely wouldn't let up.

As she then secured herself in his lap, a feat he had started to protest about before receiving a sharp look from the smaller woman, he let out a defeated sigh and simply allowed it. After she seemed satisfied and comfortable his golden gaze returned towards his silver haired sibling. "Unfortunately it's not going quite as well as I had originally hoped. Rhamiria has most of the other council members practically terrified out of their wits, and convinced that their lives are in danger so long as protestors and blood benders are given free reign. As it stands right now I believe you're the only known blood bender that's not imprisoned right now. Probably the only real good news I can offer is I've managed to convince the council to hold off on any executions" he said with a sigh.

"Alkaid is planning a manhunt for you Kiril. I've overheard one of his conversations and he seems hell bent on finding you using any means necessary...well at least ones that he can manage. Rhamiria's pretty much giving him the go ahead for anything at this point. He knows a few of the people you've been around with it seems..." she quietly added as she cuddled against Kaji and missing the slight wince as she brushed against his ribs.

"That's not all. Another law is being attempt that would prevent those imprisoned to a trial, not that, that hasn't already been occurring. Furthermore they wish to make a public example that they feel would be a bit more...impressionable on the people. They want to show that resisting will spark dire consequences and that simply placing them in prison isn't enough...If you catch my drift" Rhamiria was attempting to weed out all opposition within the city, and she preferred to use a more permanent basis to do so. Kaji knew if such a law were to pass it would mean civil war.

It was good to hear that he was missed even though he already knew that he was. His brother was probably more worried about him than he'd openly say but he knew that his brother's affection was there. Sylph on the other hand was a different type of affection altogether and it warmed his heart to hear her whisper those words back to him. He grinned slightly but not enough to necessarily call it a true grin, more like the shadows of one. When their embrace broke he looked the woman over instictively and decided that she looked as though she was doing well. He was checking for small signs of high stress, the same way he did for Kaji. It was a natural instinct of his when he was dealing with someone he cared deeply for.

Then after Heather was comfortably situated in the older sibling's lap Kiril took a seat on the ground as well since it would be easier to remain hidden with them all low to the ground and in the shadows. "Barely is still alive," he told Kaji in a more serious tone. Then he sat back and listened to the fire-bender explain what all was going on inside the palace and imperial hq. It was all bad news, not that Kira expected anything else but he was hopeful. "I suppose things will continue to get worse before they get better," he thought aloud. Well it was good that they weren't executing people. Though that might make things far more worse than they were right now.

As Heather chimed in and explained that the earth-bender was planning a personal manhunt for him, Kiril couldn't contain a dark smile, "No doubt he plans to get revenge. If I'm caught I'm sure the torture he has planned for me will be a living hell." He sighed. "All I can do right now is run and hide, in hopes that you or someone can get this law overturned before I'm caught." He was exchanging glances between the other unofficial couple.

Kiril's face grew pale as he listened to the details of the new law they were trying to pass, "We might as well be under martial law right now. If they plan on having people get executed without a trial and under false pretense then Einheit will turn into a blood-stained city." That was just the truth of things now matter how they looked at them. It was so unbelievable at how fast all this had come to pass. Einheit was one of the most peaceful countries less than a year ago and here they were now on the brink of civil war and martial law. "How far this country has fallen."

Seeing the others electing to sit, Sylph soon joined them on the ground. She wasn't as bold as Heather was to sit in the lap of the male she held high affections for, and instead elected to sit with her legs tucked under her, for not only comfort but so as not to be too revealing with her skirt. She did however sit close enough to Kiril to the point she could at least feel the first few whispers of his body heat. It was a comfort to her amongst the sea of bad news the two guards seemed to be giving them. She couldn't fathom exactly how horrid the situation had turned in Einheit, when only a short while ago, it seemed to her now, she had arrived in a peaceful city to start her own life. Now here it was full of violence and chaos as the once pleasant air filled with tension and unbridled fury and fear from the people.

Kaji allowed a small and calm smile. "Aye and I plan on staying that way for at least a decent amount of time yet, despite Rhamiria's hopes" He could see in the past month how hard the council woman was attempting to dispose of him in a more 'natural' means. When the past three assassins she had recently hired failed to do their job in eliminating him, he figured that she would finally get the message that killing him would require more skill and thought. From what he could tell she was now attempting to overwork him to death, and though while the load he received was strenuous and perhaps a bit 'over the top' he managed to rise and meet her challenge and carry out the duties that were forced upon him now. "At this point I personally believe a civil war will break out before we'll be able to enjoy peace once more. Of course that would mean your correct that things will be getting worse before getting better" the fire bender replied with a sigh.

For a brief moment the older guard locked eyes with his younger sibling. "Even if you were caught Alkaid wouldn't be permitted to lay a hand on you, I would personally see to that. Though yes he does have a bit of malicious intent towards you for arena incident. He's hoping to be the one that finds you, and hoping you'll put up a fight as an excuse. Of course that would require him to actually use his brain, which isn't exactly his strong point. He relies on Rhamiria for that as of late, but then she isn't exactly wise enough to figure out which house you're in either. I might actually be one of the few that can figure it out to be honest..." he said with a quiet chuckle, before wincing slightly from a purposely induced nudge from the smaller woman in his lap. "...I didn't say you couldn't"

"You bet I could if I wanted to. Of course I know you'll handle it so there's no need for me to" the shorter female responded with a playful huff in her voice. She knew though that she would probably still require Kaji's assistance in figuring out where exactly Kiril was hiding, but she wasn't going to admit that. Besides as far as she was concerned the best way she could assist was to ensure nothing happened to Kiril's older sibling that would jeopardize either one of them, which of course brought her mind to another subject. "Alright so I just want to completely confirm this and make sure firefly here wasn't just trying to have a little mental 'fun' with me. That older brother you mentioned in the restaurant so long ago is really Kaji?" she inquired, looking towards the male water bender. She figured if it was coming from Kaji it was probably true anyways, but she just wanted to ensure. Of course that would also mean there would be a bit of dousing going on at a later time for a certain fire bender and an air bender that had apparently known before her and kept it from her for so long.

Kaji knew well what the consequences were going to be either way, though he was a bit surprise that she questioned what he had told her. It had taken him quite some time to feel it safe enough to reveal his and Kiril's relation to her, despite the fact she had managed her way into their group and managed to sneak around his personal walls. Of course at the time he had quite expected anyone to disturb him in his study, let alone the smaller water bender at the time. Not that he hadn't planned on eventually telling her anyways, especially after discovering he had held a grown affection for her despite her slight annoyances to force him to rest every now and then.

Deciding to throw the fate of how dry he'd end up by the end of the night in his brother's hands he directed his gaze outward towards the path he, and he assumed most of the others, had come. He stared only for a few moments before feeling a sudden flare of his inner fires, causing a frown on his face. Closing his eyes and listening, while tuning out the voices of their small group temporarily, he searched for perhaps a sign that one of them had been followed. He soon 'discovered' or rather felt that his flare hadn't been the result of anything near them, and once more opened his eyes. Despite the cover of night he thought he could see a streaking that was a bit darker then the night itself in the distance, and it was that, that seemed to concern him.

At first he thought of ignoring it, however when the once whispers of his fire began to resound a bit louder in his mind he decided it would not be the best of ideas. Turning his gaze down towards the auburn haired female in his lap he motioned for her to let him up, which she stubbornly seemed to refuse. "If you would be so kind as to let me up for a moment..." he tried, though was met with an insistent shake of the smaller guard's head. It seemed she had worked too hard to be 'privileged' enough to be in such a position, and she wasn't willing to let it end so soon. With a sigh he quietly whispered something within her closest ear, which immediately seemed to spark a rise out of her.

"Really? You're not just pulling my leg are you? Anything?" the female asked with a mischievous grin. The nod she received, though extremely hesitant from the red haired male as he warily regarded her smile, was enough for her. Scooting her way out of his lap she allowed him to get up, though there was still clearly a pleased look within her eyes.

Kaji's golden gaze still regarded the female water bender warily for a few moments before it came to settle down now on Sylph as he stood. "I hate to ask, but you probably have a bit better hearing then I do since you can air bend. Would you be willing to see if you can hear if anything is going on in that direction...about twelve or so house from here I'd say" he calmly asked as he motioned in the direction he had seen the streak.

Sylph was a bit surprised by the request, but nodded her head nevertheless. She wondered what it was that had caught the fire bender's interest, and figured she would know soon enough. Her light blue gaze glanced towards the direction Kaji had indicated before closing her eyes. She was a bit reluctant to release the hand that she had lightly sought out for again once she sat, but knew she needed both of her arms to air bend enough to get a clear sound. Being conscious enough, so as not to accidentally end up smacking or running into Kiril with her hands while she began to bend, she moved her arms. A wind was soon brought up as she attempted to pull the sounds in the air to her. She frowned at the response she received. "There's yelling...and screaming...People are shouting...and running around...Sounds like a bit of a fight is occurring" she said relaying what she heard as her frowned deepened. She continued bending to try and get a better idea of what was going on before a smell from the area suddenly hit her, causing her eyes to open. "There's smoke...I can smell it. Something's burning" she replied a bit shakily as her mind began to slowly piece together what was probably going on.

That was enough for Kaji to realize what was going on in that area. As of late the fire bender had been forcing his senses to a higher rate to be conscious of the fire within the city. Most of the time it simply a result of someone cooking, or some benign activity, and ones that usually kept his own fire silent. However this was very different as he could hear the mental voice asking to join, asking to burn away with the other fire and to cause the same destruction, he knew that it couldn't be anything good occurring. "I believe the manhunt is beginning for you...From the feel of it and from what Sylph just said...he's burning houses to flush you out..." the fire bender quietly stated, his tone serious as his eyes closed.

Heather's eyes widened at Kaji's words. "Can you...control it from here?" she inquired, hoping that what was said wasn't really occurring. She knew well how much that the earth bender wanted to find the silver haired male, and although he was a brute she hadn't expected him to go so far...at least not so soon.

After a few more moments Kaji's eyes opened and he shook his head. "No I'm too far...The only way I'd be able to do anything with it is if I were to incorporate my own fire into it, but at this distance and the nature of my fire even that is a bit too risky. I'd have to be right there so it didn't spread out of complete control. Which of course means I'll be heading there now. I will advise if any wish to follow you stay in the shadows, even you Heather. This...is going to get ugly" the fire bender said with a sigh before quickly excusing himself reluctantly and hurriedly began making his way towards the direction he had seen the darker streak.

Kiril noticed that Sylph had elected to sit close but not too close to him after seeing the stunt that Heather had just pulled. Admittedly, it was a surprise to see the two of them this close to one another. It was always easy for him to tell that the female water-bender had always wanted to be with his brother but it seemed that now the feelings were more mutual than they'd been a while back. It seems that these weeks of hiding had left him unaware of things. He smiled secretly to himself inside at the thought. It was warming to know that someone else could and would look after his brother in his absence, should anything go wrong or anything tragic happen to him.

"That's good to know. I don't know how this city would manage if you weren't around to keep everything in order," he replied half sarcastically and half seriously. Kaji's following words echoed his sentiment though it was in a grim way. There had already been some blood spilled and although none of them had any desire to see anyone die or be harmed, it was unlikely that with things going on like this, that their wish would be granted. A scary thought but a fact that they'd have to face here in the weeks to come.

As the thought changed to what could happen should he get caught he simply smiled at his brother's comments, "Don't be so sure that you can protect me from everything," he told him. Not that he was being rude but it was the truth. Kira had no doubts that if Alkaid really wanted to get to him Rhamiria would find a way to allow it to be done. Plain and simple. Though he didn't worry about it. Then Kiril raised an eyebrow to the two guards as they said they'd be able to find him, "Don't be so sure either of you could locate me if I didn't want you to find me. I'm staying away from them, not you two, though I could perform a true disappearing act if you'd like?" Not that he wanted to be anywhere where his brother couldn't reach them, but he'd rather have them know that he had places that even they didn't know about. It was for the safety of everyone.

After the winds of that conversation had blown away as Heather spoke, the younger sibling looked to his elder and sighed before locking eyes with his female counterpart again, "What do you think?" he replied cryptically with a slightly mischievous grin. And that was all he would say. If she got mentally wound up in all of this then it was her problem but he would leave his answer at that.

Then the conversation was put on hiatus when Kaji stood up. Instinctively, the silver haired bender did the same. He listened to the two benders as they played the roll of detective at the moment to figure out what was going on and apparently there was a fire. The manhunt was already on. "If they're looking for me then I don't need to be nearby when you make an entrance. I'll send you an unmarked letter at a later date when it may be safe for us to meet again. Until then you guys stay safe, I'm going to disappear for a while."

He looked at Sylph and smiled, it felt like they would be away from one another for a while yet again. Cupping her face in his hands, he placed his lips against hers and let nature run its course. Once they parted he gave a brief nod to both Kaji and Heather then ran off staying in the shadows. It would be best this way. If he could hide out long enough for the laws to be undone and without too many more homes being caught up in this dangerous mess then that's what he'd do. But in the back of his mind, there was always that nagging feeling that he'd have to give himself up to save these families from the pain that would come.

Kaji couldn't help but give a small smile as his brother stated that he couldn't protect him from everything. The fire bender already was well aware of it, but that didn't stop him from at least trying even if it wasn't exactly needed. Kiril could handle himself, he had proven that repeatedly in the arena and his title was proof of that. His smile slowly faded though as the water bender brought up the fact that Rhamiria would find a way. "I may not be able to protect you from everything, but I can at least influence things to a point. Technically Alkaid would fall into my jurisdiction anyways since he's a subordinate. On top of that if he did anything to you, this place would turn into a battle field in an instant" the fire bender calmly replied after a few moments.

He couldn't help but chuckle though as his brother offered to do a full disappearing act. "If you did that I could always send Echi after you" the red haired guard replied with a chuckle as he imagined the fire ferret's frantic search for the water bender. Of course he figured the ferret wouldn't be the only female going after him. Heather had already informed him numerous times of Sylph affection towards the silver haired male.

At Kiril's response to her question Heather couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. Glancing first at the red haired guard and then towards the water bender, she couldn't help but initially focus on the differences between them, but yet there was definitely something that resembled a kinship between the two...at least in how they acted towards one another and even towards others somewhat. Then again she realized that Kiril's answer was practically a mirror image of the fire bender's if she had asked him the question. It was enough for her to confirm that they were indeed siblings, which naturally meant that the fire bender would pay soon enough for keeping such a secret from her for so long.

Kaji and Heather both nodded their heads as Kiril said it would be better for him to avoid the area. "We shall, and you as well." the fire bender said quietly flashing his brother a slight smile. He wasn't exactly sure when he would see the water bender again, though he hoped that it wasn't behind bars in the prison. Alkaid was serious about finding him, and with the approach of locating him now turning he wasn't sure how much longer his brother would be able to run or hide.

Sylph nodded in understanding and returned the smile towards the silver haired water bender, though she couldn't help but be a bit shaken by the sudden situation as well as what the winds were relaying to her. Her thoughts were soon taken away as she felt hands cupping her face and the feeling of a pair of lips upon hers. Initially she was shocked, as she had been with Altyre, however unlike then she didn't feel herself on the verge of fainting, and instead found herself returning the affectionate gesture. When they parted she couldn't help but wish that they would be allowed a little more time together. "Be sure to stay safe as well" she gently whispered before watching him disappear into the shadows.

Heather couldn't help but grin as the two finally kissed. It was a moment she knew would eventually come ever since she knew that they held feelings for one another. "Be sure to stay safe too, after all once I marry your brother we'll be expecting nieces and nephews" she called into the darkness with a tease she couldn't help but give. She could hear the air bender beside her whisper her name in embarrassment, causing her to giggle. She knew in the darkness the air bender was blushing madly, a thing which the female water bender hadn't caused for quite some time. Green eyes sought towards Kaji as she realized the fire bender may have heard her words as well, though she was a bit relieved when she found he had already dashed off.

Turning her gaze towards the air bender she shrugged her shoulders. "Well shall we go investigate as well or would you rather we simply call it a night?" the shorter female quietly asked, though from the expression she could barely make out it was clear her question wasn't fully heard. Giggling again as the air bender seemed to be lost in worry, shock and embarrassment, the water bender figured the decision would ultimately fall to her. Walking over she lightly rested a hand on Sylph's light colored arm, before motioning for her to get up.

Light blue eyes looked up as a hand suddenly came to rest on her arm. Although she had heard and reacted to Heather's tease, Sylph had become lost in her own thoughts. Now her attention snapped towards the shorter female as she motioned for her to stand. Quietly and with her usual air bending grace she hoisted herself up.

"Let's go see if we can go help with those fires, if you're up to it that is" the water bender quietly said, and as she motioned towards the direction that Kaji had gone.

Light blue eye glanced towards the direction that Heather had indicated, before nodding her head in agreement.

---------------------

The scene that the girls came upon was one of utter chaos. Kaji had arrived before them, and from the looks of it he was already busy with Alkaid. Heather could tell the two were already in a 'heated' debate, especially since the surrounding flames were currently being pulled to the fire bender and surrounding him. Feeling the earth beneath her feet slowly begin to rumble the water bender already knew well that a fight was about to occur between the two. Quickly she instructed Sylph to help her clear the area of the rather angry and frightened people that were steadily gathering and fighting with a few of the other guards that were present. From what she could tell burning peoples homes in an attempt to flush out Kiril had already been approved by Rhamiria. 'She's insane.' Although it wasn't as if the water bender didn't already think that, what with everything she had been forcing on the towns people and Kaji as of late, but this only solidified that fact. There was no way that the council would all approve these actions, and even if they did she knew the fire bender wouldn't stand for it, and she knew for a fact that the red haired male was more than willing to take drastic measures if need be, and she figured more so since this did concern his younger brother.

The two girls had just managed to pull the crowd somewhat away from the no-longer-burning house, and the two higher ranked guards, when the first pillar of fire was suddenly slamming into the muscled earth bender. 'Now that's unexpected...Kaji almost never makes the first strike...' From the look on Alkaid's face as he was slammed into the nearest structure, he hadn't been expecting it either. Risking a quick glance towards the fire bender's face, she paused on his eyes, which were practically blazing as brightly as his more powerful white flames. However it wasn't the blaze that was causing her pause, but rather the calm yet deadly look they held beyond the flames. She had seen that particular look from the fire bender before, however it was mainly during various campaigns that required a rather violent force to accomplish and the results typically didn't bode well for the recipient of the look.

Quickly the short female water bender worked on regaining the attention of a few of the other guards that were present and alerted them to start clearing the area as quickly as possible. "It may be hard to do, but Sylph I need you to go and try to find Kiril again..." the auburn haired woman whispered to the light blue haired air bender beside her. She wasn't sure exactly what or how the other water bender would be able to assist, but she figured at the very least it would keep the air bender away and safe from what she feared was about to transpire, making her once again return to her efforts of clearing the crowd as far away as she could once she got the confirmation from the air bender that she would do as asked.

Sylph was rather surprised, like many of the various others within the crowd, at the sudden burst of flames coming from the usually calm fire bender, let alone the fact it was directed at someone, even if it was Alkaid. She stared transfixed and in a bit of shock as a shudder shot up her spine. She was soon snapped from her trance at the water bender's voice. At first she hadn't processed what the shorter woman said, and she figured her confused look had clearly portrayed that as the short woman quickly repeated herself. Wondering the reason she quickly nodded her head. She could see a look of slight alarm in the green gaze opposite hers, giving her a bit of wonder as to what it was that alarmed her. Glancing once more towards the fire bender, she could see the flames starting to rear up again around him as the earth bender for once hesitantly got up. Deciding it was best to simply ask questions later she quickly slipped from the now somewhat crowded area.

Sylph wasn't entirely sure of where she was going to look, after all the other two may have been able to find out easier where he was, but she was usually left clueless to his location. Heather assured her it was probably for the best, as the water bending female was still convinced that the air bender was a target. With a sigh she glance around, noticing that she had managed to backtrack towards the arena again. Of course she doubted he would be anywhere near there anymore, but it was all she had to go on. 'There's a chance he might be close by...'

Kiril dashed off into the shadows as there was imperial's patrolling the streets well as normal police. The fact that this city was basically under Marshall law was a testament to how bad things had become. The Imperial Guard even now had resorted to torching houses to find one man. Him. As he darted around corners, stalking through alley ways Kiril began to think. If all this was his fault, was it not up to him to take responsibility? Kaji was burdening all of this all alone because he was too afraid of what would happen to him all this time and now it had gotten innocent citizens involved. A family's house had been burned all because he was not man enough to be arrested for false charges. Would the Gods of the elements not have mercy on him if he were innocent?

Those thoughts plagued him for a moment as he sat in the safety of a dark alley between two stores. He was almost back at his safehouse, but he couldn't take it anymore. No one else deserved to lose their home because of him. No one else would have to suffer in his stead. It was time that he took this burden off of Kaji's shoulders. His brother would not always be there to protect him. He stood up as his next thoughts formed and couldn't stop himself from smiling. All this time, he'd been wanting to be his brother's equal, yet he didn't have the strength to stand up for what was right and accept any consequences that came with that. Kaji was only doing what any brother would who was put in that position. Well no more.

Immediately he made a run back to the Arena and he would follow the smoke to Alkaid where he would give himself up. As he arrived back at the training grounds he saw a woman. It was Sylph! Slowing his run to a walk he cruised towards her, "What are you doing here? Why aren't you with Kaji and Heather?" He had a calm look on his face. He was ready to face his fate for once. He had thought he was becoming a man, but all this time his arrogance had blinded him. Kaji was a better man than he could ever hope to become but maybe this would be one step in the right direction.

Sylph had just about been ready to move on to try and find Kiril, when she suddenly caught movement out of the corner of her eyes. Turning she was relieved when she heard the male water bender's voice, as well as the fact that now she didn't have to try and go hunting around the town trying to find him. Her relief though was soon replaced by the inkling of worry and confusion as to why it was she had been told to find Kaji's brother. "Well...Heather told me to find you. She looked rather worried and Kaji...well when we arrived he and Alkaid seemed to be arguing...then Kaji attacked him suddenly. I think a fight's about to break out. Right now Heather's trying to evacuate the area as quickly as possible" the air bender explained, her gaze drifting towards the direction she had just come from. Even from this distance she could feel a slight rumbling in the ground, and see the flickers of light illuminating the area that she could only figure was caused by the red head's fire. "I guess it's already started..." she whispered as a shiver ran up her spine as her hands clutched one another at her chest. She could easily hear the chaos that was steadily erupting and quickly spreading.

-----------------------

Things seemed to spiral out of control shortly after Heather told Sylph to go and find the male water bender. Alkaid had only remained stunned and hesitant by Kaji's actions for only a moment before rearing up and attacking back ferociously. The water bender was doing her best to move the determined and slightly excited crowd away from the area that she knew would become devastated. She already knew that if Kaji wasn't not currently preoccupied he would have ordered for the citizens to be evacuated.

She dared to risk a glance back as she heard a relatively loud crash behind her. Instantly her eyes widened as she caught sight of a relatively large boulder suddenly sailing towards her and the crowd. Instinctively she worked on summoning at least an ice barrier to either stop it or buy some time for her to clear the area. She was surprised however as it wasn't ice the piece of earth came into contact with, but a sudden sprout of white fire. Glancing over she caught sight of Kaji directing his flames and summoning a few arrows, that soon sailed towards the boulder and worked on crushing the threat. It was a reassuring sight to her, though she still worried about the overly calm look in his eyes as they glared towards the more muscular earth bender.

Kaji had been expecting Alkaid to retaliate, and hadn't been disappointed in the assumption. The earth bender had clearly been shocked that he had actually made the first move, but then he knew either way it would have eventually led to a fight anyways. He had previously been arguing with the darker skinned male at the orders of burning houses the earth bender had given the rest of the guards in his brief absence. Even if Rhamiria had approved of the orders and even initially issued them they would still need to pass by him at the very least.

Kaji had already known full well that the council would never approve such actions, at least not those he had swayed to his side, and thus the conniving air bender had to have given the orders under the table. He also knew that Alkaid would willingly follow the corrupted council member's orders without a second thought, after all the repercussions of the acts would inevitably fall on him rather than the violent earth bender, so naturally he knew he needed to direct the muscular male's attention elsewhere.

It would have been a breeze for him to dodge the large chunks of earth, however he was still aware of the innocent bystanders still scattered around them and was forced to counter them with his own fire. As a rather large boulder suddenly began sailing towards the water bender and the people she was trying to evacuate, the red haired male moved instinctively, countering the force of the moving boulder and quickly summoning arrows to break it down and burn the earth to a molten ash.

He risked a glare towards the smirking earth bender, which only seemed to fuel his more inner violent flames. Suddenly a rumbling below him caught his attention and he quickly dashed to the side, just barely missing getting slammed with a pillar of earth that rose where he had just been standing. "Can't attack me directly anymore without risking endangering others. Are you really so weak now? As I recall you body is the one in peak health, and yet you have to try and resort to failed mindless tricks? Really now, I thought you had at least some sense in that thick skull of yours" the fire bender taunted. He could practically feel the rage radiating off of the earth bender at his words.

Letting out a roar of rage the earth bender charged blindly at his superior, something Kaji had been anticipating. A fist flew at him, aiming for his face, but the fire bender easily moved to the side and grabbed ahold of Alkaid's wrist with his outside hand. He followed the motion and direction the punch had originally been aimed at, using the momentum to cause the earth bender to stumble and lose some form of his balance before he followed up with an elbow to the earth bender's ribs with his inner arm, combining the force of motion from Alkaid's body and his own in the opposite direction.

Kiril listened to Sylph calmly but knew this was bad. This was all his fault. He was just about to speak up when he caught wind of someone sneaking up on them from the shadows. Snapping around and assuming a fighting stance he called out, "Show yourself!" To his surprise the man that stepped out of the shadows was a familiar figure. It was Altyre. "Well well. Look what we have here. The ghost has reappeared. What brings you to this neck of the woods?" The dread head grinned slightly and inclined his head towards the two of them as a greeting, "I came to take Sylph with me." The darker male stared down the water-bender and could seemingly tell the decision that he had come to. "If you're planning on going into that fight then she doesn't need to go with you. Besides, I can keep her safer than any of you can. We'll disappear until the time is right and I'll bring her back."

Neither of them seemed to care what the young air-bender had to say on the matter as Kiril answered calmly, "You're right. Take her with you and keep her away from here until all of this blows over. I'm sure Rhamiria will be looking for her once I give myself up so she needs to be long gone by then. Can you promise me that?" The two made a strong mental exchange through eye contract and then Altyre gave an extravagant bow, "Aye, I can do that for you. You have my word that she will be safe with me until things are safe here."

Smiling, Kiril turned away from the two, "Good. Now go." And with that he took off.

Gently taking Sylph by the hand Altyre gave her an apologetic look, "I'm sorry but you have to come with me now. Don't fuss or argue because this isn't optional. We've got to get you out of here. Understand?" He didn't give the woman time to answer before he started off in the opposite direction of Kiril. He would have to lead her out of town the same way he got in and out. Through a set of tunnels that lead to a lake on the outskirts. From there they would have to hike to a cabin that he found and cleaned up before coming into town. It would serve as a good hiding place for them. Out there, they could hunt for food and survive on their own until this was over.

Kiril raced towards what he assumed was a near death-match between Kaji and Alkaid. He could see the debris from his brother's famous white flames flying everywhere. It wasn't long before he arrived to see Heather ushering back a crowd of people and the water-bender knew that he needed to stop this fight immediately before anymore innocents got involved. Using a surge of water from his hip, he surfed over the crowd and saw Kaji deliver a strong elbow to Alkaid's ribs, "Stop!" He stood about thirty feet from the two of them and slowly made his way over.

Staring at Alkaid, even though both of them seemed to be surprised that he was here, he stopped suddenly when he was about six feet from him. "I know you're looking for me. This senseless violence against the people of this city has got to end. I'll go with you. Just don't try and destroy anymore homes of these innocent people." This entire time he never bothered to look at his brother. He only stared at Alkaid with a fearless and determined look in his eyes. "Do we have a deal?" Not that he had anything to bargain with him, but he wanted everyone around him to hear him say it.

Syph had been slightly alarmed when Kiril called out suddenly to a second person. Turning her gaze she wondered for a moment if perhaps one of the other imperial guards had followed after her. Terror slightly gripped her heart as she really didn't wish to see the water bender arrested while his brother was working so hard to prevent it. A sight of relief escaped her lips as the figure that came forwards, wasn't part of the guard or police, but Altyre. A smile graced her lips at seeing the dark skinned fire bender. It had been so long since they had last seen each other, though she did wish it was under different circumstances.

"It's good to see you Altyre" she said, returning the nod of greeting. Her smile wavered slightly as she heard the reason behind his visit had been to take her away. She knew things were dangerous, but she wasn't exactly prepared to simply leave. She opened her mouth a few times to voice her opinion on the matter as the two males discussed the arrangements of her being whisked off so suddenly, however the two seemed to have already come up with a decision on their own.

Letting out a sigh she knew well that there would simply be no arguing with the two. Lost in her own thoughts for a moment she was surprised as Kiril suddenly turned, telling the two of them to go, and heading towards the fray that she had previously come from. "Please...be careful" she whispered, allowing the wind to carry her words as she gazed after the water bender worriedly. "I have a feeling things are about to get even worse..." she said with a sigh before directing her gaze towards the fire bender.

Letting out a sigh and attempted a smile as her hand was gently taken and told that she would indeed be leaving Einheirt. "I guess I don't really have a choice then..." she said with a sigh as she followed after the dark haired male. She was a bit curious as to where they were going as she was taken through a system of tunnels and out of the city. She had wished she could have at least said goodbye to Heather, so the shorter woman wouldn't worry, but she figured soon enough the female water bender would be told of the plan.

-------

Kaji had been preparing to deliver another blow to the gasping earth bender, flames licking around his fist when a sudden, yet familiar voice shouted for them to stop. Instinctively his glowing flamed golden eyes turned towards the owner of the voice and was surprised to find his younger brother, surfing over the crowd. A mixture of worry over his brother revealing himself and a twinge of anger that the water bender would be endangering himself by doing so passed through the red haired fire bender. "What are you-" he started to say quickly, before quickly cutting himself off. He couldn't allow nor risk someone like Alkaid overhearing him. He was further shocked however as his younger sibling was suddenly attempting to strike a bargain.

Pain had shot through Alkaid's whole side at Kaji's assault on his ribs. Raising his arm in front of him he had been aiming an elbow to come down on the back of the fire bender when a shout suddenly stopped his actions. Turning his gaze towards the sound a twisted smile of glee crossed his lips. He could identify that voice anywhere. "Water twerp. About time you showed your cowardly face" he said his smile twisting further across his face. The idea of beating both the water and fire bender was a sweet prospect to him, especially since he still had a score to settle with the silver haired male from the arena.

A laugh of almost pure malicious glee erupted from the heavy male as the water bender was now attempting to turn himself in. He knew this night couldn't be any sweeter. Glancing down however he noticed that the fire bender's attention had been completely taken away from the looming danger above. "Commander...you should know by now it's never wise to drop your guard in a fight" he stated as he suddenly brought his already raised elbow down with intense force on the back of the red head's neck.

Kaji couldn't believe his ears at his brother's words. He had just about been to voice his objection when an intense pain suddenly shot through his entire system, causing him to crumple to his knees. A field of black danced across his vision, though he refused to succumb to the abyss. He didn't have too much time to recover as he sensed a sudden shift and was only barely able to bring up an arm in defense as a massive leg swung towards him with massive force, and sent his body sliding across the damaged ground. He winced as his body and skin connected painfully with the bumpy surface, and remained down.

Alkaid let out another roaring though wheezing laugh as he watched the fire bender fly and remain on the ground. "You needed some rest Red so just stay down. I'll handle this myself since you don't appear to be feeling up to it" the earth bender stated, not even hiding the malicious glee he was feeling. Directing his gaze towards the silver haired water bender, his grin only increased in size. "You've taken all the fun out of hunting you down like the dog you are, but I suppose that can't be helped" he said with a shrug and laugh. Summoning up a piece of earth he began shaping it into stone bindings, with the clear intent of using them on the water bending male. "Under direct orders of the council and article three, section two of the Safety ordinance law I here by place you under arrest for being a threat to the wellbeing and safety of Einheirt and its citizens and blah, blah, blah" the earth bender stated, rolling his hand in a bored gesture as he recited the needed protocol in a disinterested tone.